City Shadows Arc 2: Demon Quartet
by Zephyros-Phoenix
Summary: Sequel to Arc 1: 13 Coins, DragoxOC, OCxOC. Daolon Wong has released five Demon Sorcerers to Earth, one of which is Mala's mother, Lang Yan and the Shadow Strikers and their former enemy and new member, Remington the demon hunter, must find and send these demons back to the Netherworld before they take over Earth. Meanwhile, Mala deals with having her mother back in her life.
1. A New Year

**Ok, so originally, I wanted to give a decent amount of time between the end of arc 1 before starting arc 2, but I guess I just got really into everything and the words just came pouring out. There's no stopping these gears once they start.**

**To new readers, this is the second installment of an ongoing series by myself and my partner Dingo-Sniper. Though not required - because you can do whatever you want and such - I highly recommend reading arc 1 first before starting this story if you haven't done so already. A lot of stuff happens in arc 1 and if you don't want to be confused or left behind in the plot, I recommend reading it. Plus, if I get any questions asking something to which arc 1 answers (like "how did they beat Daolon Wong?" or "what did Lang Yan do to help the group?"), I will absolutely ignore them. Sorry if that's a bit harsh, but seriously, one should not read the second installment without reading the first. It's like skipping to Chamber of Secrets and not reading Philosopher's Stone. **

* * *

"Ah, all right guys, it's a new school year! A time to start fresh and move on from the chaos of last term," Tim sighed.

"When you say 'chaos', do you mean the awesomeness that is us saving the world from a crazy old wizard?" Mavis asked.

"Do you have something else to call it?" Tim asked.

"Duh-doi! More like an awesome, butt kicking adventure! Starring yours truly, Callahan Thunder! And my gut's telling me it's just the beginning!" she smirked.

"Honestly, I hope not. I've had enough adventure this past year to last a lifetime. I just want a normal school term for once with my friends," said Mala.

"Aaaannnd?" Drago chimed in.

"And my boyfriend," she giggled, giving him a playful punch in the arm.

"Why are we going this way to school again?" Liam asked.

"We're meeting up with Remy, remember? It's his first day back to school and we thought it would be fun to all walk together. You know, help break the ice," said Tim.

"Yeah, I know how scary it can be going back to school after a while. I definitely would have liked someone to go with on my first day," said Mala.

"But then you met us!" Mavis exclaimed.

"And we nearly destroyed the entire school," Liam added.

"Ah, fond memories," Mavis sighed in content.

"Oh, morning," Remy greeted as he stepped out of his apartment building. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We thought we'd surprise you and walk to school together!" Mavis beamed.

"Uh, is that what you're wearing?" Mala asked, pointing to his hunter gear.

"Yeah, why? What's wrong with it?" Remy asked, confused.

"Well, it's not exactly inconspicuous," Drago commented.

"Don't you think it'll be a bit weird going to a public high school in full-body demon killing gear?" Tim asked.

"And I'm pretty sure schools have a very strict 'no weapons' policy," Liam added.

"You guys really think so? I haven't exactly spent a lot of time with other people or in public at all," Remy mentioned.

"Ok, come on. We've got a few minutes to spare," Mala said, pulling Remy back inside as Mavis followed. They emerged five minutes later and Remy was dressed in a black, unbuttoned shirt with green trimming and blue shirt underneath with his family crest in green, blue jeans and black and green sneakers.

"I'm surprised you had something other than your gear. It's been the only thing we see you wear," Liam commented.

"Are you kidding? It was hard enough to find something that didn't have his family crest on it!" Mavis exclaimed.

"Yeah we're pretty big on the family emblem. So, can we go now? It's bad to be late on your first day, right?" Remy asked.

"Wait," said Mala.

"What?"

"Weapons," she said. Remy sighed and pulled out his collapsible sword from behind his back. "What else?" Remy then proceeded to pull out several more weapons, his daggers, throwing knives and even a few stun grenades. "Remy! We said no weapons!"

"I'm sorry ok? I'm a hunter! I need to have my gear on me at all times in case of an emergency! I'm just… not comfortable without them," he admitted.

"Ok fine! Just make sure nobody can see them. There's no telling what the faculty will do if they find that many weapons on you," Mala cautioned.

"It's been a long time since I've done this, but I imagine school is still pretty much the same as it's always been?" Remy asked.

"Yup, boring study, gross lunch, dumb classmates," Mavis listed.

"Ah, how pleasant."

"Yeah, but it'll be less dull with all of us together. It's funny, after school we would always spend our time planning on finding the next Coin or how to fight you, but I guess now we've got nothing to do," Liam said.

"Except homework," Tim added.

"And just like that, the magic is gone," Mavis groaned.

When they arrived at school, they left Remy with the front reception so he could get settled in before they headed off to homeroom. A few minutes later, Remy came in and the teacher asked him to introduce himself, the same way she had done last term with Mala and Drago. Remy kept his introduction short and simple to the point where all he even said was his name. He didn't mention his family's occupation as demon hunters, of course. "Man we're getting a lot of new students this year," one of the classmates commented. After that, the teacher had him take the empty seat on Mala's right. When lunch time finally rolled around, they noticed several adults roaming through the halls with some of the students.

"What's going on?" asked Drago.

"Oh, the school does this every year at the start of the spring term. It's like a 'Parent's Day' where students' parents can come visit the school and, you know check out the facilities, make sure their kids are getting a good education. Most parents only bother to come the one time, like mine," said Tim.

"Yeah, but mine always insist on coming! It took me hours to convince them not to come this year!" Mavis exclaimed. "I'm guessing none of your guys' parents will be coming?"

"I doubt it. All of our parents," Liam began, gesturing to himself, Mala, Drago and Remy, "are either deceased or banished in the Demon Netherworld."

"So I won't be expecting a visit from any of them anytime soon," Mala added. After they got their lunches, they decided to eat inside the cafeteria rather than in their usual spot outside at the football bleachers. "Too god damned cold," as Mavis put it. They sat in one of the tables in the far corner of the cafeteria, hoping to get as far away from the central chatter as possible. They were in the middle of enjoying one of the few good cafeteria meals - pizza - when a woman with long blonde hair in a ponytail wearing a dark blue business suit made her way over to them.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked. Mala's eyes widened in shock and she dropped the slice of pizza she was about to take a bite from. She hesitantly turned her head to look upon the face of the newcomer and confirm her suspicions. It had been over a decade since she last saw that face, but there was no mistaking it. "I'll take that as a 'no'," she said pleasantly before taking a seat. "Oh, pizza, how delightful. I haven't had a decent meal in years!" she smiled, taking a bite from her slice.

"What are you doing here?" Mala whispered angrily, instantly becoming tense.

"Now, now, darling, you wouldn't want to cause a scene would you? Unless you want to make starting demon fights on the first day of school a tradition."

"How did you-" Liam started.

"Mala, do you know this lady?" Mavis asked, taking a sip of her juice.

"Everyone, you all remember my mother?" Mala asked as Mavis quickly spat out the sip she had taken, unfortunately all over Tim and Liam.

"Mavis!" Tim shouted, reaching for his napkins to dry himself off.

"Sorry, sorry, I've just always wanted to do that."

"Your mother? Lang Yan!" Drago realized.

"Demon Sorceress!" Remy quickly reached back for his Jian, but Lang Yan cut him off.

"Hold, demon hunter. The last thing you'd want to do is expose all of us. I suggest you sheath your blade, boy."

"And why should we trust you?" Mala asked.

"Because were it not for me, you would be still stuck in an illusion, your two human friends would probably have been eaten by Hsi Wu and your new boyfriend would still be in the Netherworld," Lang Yan counted on each of her fingers as she spoke. "You see? I have done nothing but help you."

"But why? Demon Sorcerers don't do anything without a reason. If you think this means I owe you three favours then think again!" Mala spat.

"Now is that any way to speak to your mother? And do my reasons truly matter? The point is I helped you all. Deny it all you want, but you would not be here were it not for me."

"The last time we saw you, you were still in the Netherworld, how did you escape Lang Yan?" Tim asked.

"When I am in this form, you will call me 'Mrs. Reid', is that understood? As for how I came here, your old enemy is to blame."

"Daolon Wong? But we beat him!" Drago exclaimed.

"Quite so. His defeat was so pathetic and humiliating he sought to exact revenge on the six of you. But in his arrogance, he did not see just where that would lead him."

"What did he do?" Liam asked.

"Not here. We will discuss the rest of this somewhere less… populated. How about your place, Mala? I'd love to see where you live."

"Not a chance! You don't think I know what you're up to?"

"And what do you think I'm up to, Mala? Do you think I'm here to ruin your life? Take over the world? Whether or not you choose to believe this is up to you, but I have waited years to come back to this life. I would rather live in this world as an anonymous commoner than risk losing it by exposing myself and attempting to rule. I don't want to rule this world; I just want to to live in it, something none of the other Demon Sorcerers have the guts to admit. I'll come around 4:30, is that suitable to you?" she asked, not expecting an answer as she sat up from the table.

"Excuse me, and who are you?" asked one of the teachers.

"Oh me? I'm Lana Reid, Mala's mother," Lang Yan said, putting on a smile and pleasant face.

"Oh? But Mala said her parents wouldn't be coming."

"Yes, you see nearly a decade ago, I was out hiking when I struck my head in an accident. I was left in a coma for some years and when I finally awoke I had lost all my memory. It was only recently that I regained it and I've been trying to pick up the pieces of my life since then," she explained as if it were a perfectly rehearsed speech.

"Oh my goodness! How tragic!" the teacher gasped. "You poor thing! But actually, now that you are here, would you mind accompanying me to the reception? Ms. Reid has no listed emergency or parental contact."

"Oh my, I certainly wouldn't want to leave my daughter without that," Lang Yan started, turning to look at Mala, "would I?" she finished as she left with the teacher.

As Lang Yan walked away, Mala tightly gripped her soda can, crushing it with ease as she seethed with anger. All of a sudden, her hand began turning blue as her fingers sharpened and blue crystal armor began forming over her hand. Drago noticed this and quickly grabbed her hand, which brought her out of her daze as her hand turned back to normal. "Thanks," she uttered. After school, they gathered at Mala's apartment as she paced back and forth, waiting for Lang Yan to show up. When they finally heard a knock on the door, Drago opened it and Lang Yan was on the other side, still in her human guise.

"Well, are you going to let me in or not?" she asked, prompting Drago to step aside. "Hm, a very nice place my dear," she complimented, walking around the apartment and examining it's contents.

"Thanks," Mala muttered with her arms crossed.

Lang Yan stopped at the bookshelf when she noticed a picture frame. She reached for it as her eyes glued to the photo inside. It was a picture of the three of them: herself, Mala as a child and… "Jasper," she whispered, lightly tracing her fingers over the photo before smiling to herself and getting lost in her memories only to be brought out by the sound of Mala clearing her throat.

"You came here to discuss something?" Mala asked, hoping her mother would get to the point.

"Hm, straight to business, how boring," she mused, placing the picture frame back on the shelf. "I thought we could chat a bit, you know, since it's been so long since we last saw each other." When her suggestion was met with silence and stern glares, she continued, "Hm, I guess not. It wouldn't make a difference anyway, I know everything that has and will happen to all of you," she said confidently, taking a seat in the single chair. "When you defeated Daolon Wong, the pathetic old man slithered away like the cowardly snake he is and prepared a means to exact his revenge on you."

"What did he do?" Drago asked.

"He opened a portal to the Netherworld and released four Demon Sorcerers, as well as myself."

"Four Demon Sorcerers on the loose? That cannot be good," Tim noted.

"It certainly can't. If there are Demon Sorcerers on the loose, we need to find them and take care of them fast," Remy added.

"'If'? Do you doubt me, demon hunter?"

"Was that not clear?"

"Hmph, very well. I care not whether you believe my words. I came here to inform you of Daolon Wong's actions and I have done so. What you do after is entirely up to you," Lang Yan said, climbing out of her seat and making her way to the door to leave.

"Wait," said Liam, causing Lang Yan to stop. She smirked before turning around to face the teens.

"Yes?"

"Who were the Demon Sorcerers Wong released?" Liam asked.

"Well, in case you," she started, looking at Drago, "were wondering, it is none of your kin."

"Good," Drago sighed.

"Then what other Demon Sorcerers are there?" Mavis asked.

"They are Tai Ci, Sen Qiang, Liao She and Dong Xin," she listed.

"D-Dong Xin? The Winter Heart?" he asked.

"The very same. You know him well enough, don't you?" she asked.

"So, what are these guys the Demon Sorcerers of?" Tim asked.

"I've heard of them," Mala spoke up. "Sun, wood, poison and ice."

"Good girl. You know your Demon Sorcerers," Lang Yan complimented.

"Don't patronize me," Mala muttered.

"I've heard of them too. My father's told me about them a lot. Tai Ci's the Sun Demon and he's always boasting about how much more powerful and important he is than everyone else," Drago explained.

"Sen and Liao are the twins," Mala spoke up next, "Dad taught me about all the Demon Sorcerers too. They're wood and poison and as deadly as they are separate, they're way more dangerous together. And then…"

"Dong Xin," Liam spoke, interrupting Mala.

"Mm, you know the Winter Heart well, don't you, boy?" Lang Yan asked, smiling in amusement.

"Yes, I do," he answered simply.

"Liam?" Mavis asked in concern.

"Wh-when I was a kid," he struggled to speak at first but managed to find his words, "I wandered off from my mother. I was so young, I-I didn't know where our territory ended and others' began. I ended up wandering straight into Dong Xin's territory and he doesn't take kindly to intruders. If you think your father," he said to Drago, "or your mother," he said to Mala, "is bad. Believe me, you don't know anything. They are nothing compared to him."

"I'm sensing some sort of exposition or backstory coming," Mavis commented.

"When Dong Xin discovered an intruder in his territory, he started hunting me. And that's not a figure of speech, I mean he literally began hunting me. I managed to stay hidden from him most of the time, but there were moments where I could feel his icy breath on me, where it would get so cold I couldn't feel my fingers; I couldn't even breath. I was so afraid, I was sure that I was going to die," Liam's voice nearly broke as he recounted his story. "It was like I could feel him standing over me and any second then, he could kill me, but he wouldn't at least not yet. It was like it was all a game to him and I was just his toy. Dong Xin is by far one of the most deadly and most powerful Demon Sorcerers in the world. He has no emotion, he is cold and empty; he has no heart!"

"There is ice where his heart should be," Lang Yan added.

"Exactly," Liam said.

"Liam, how come you never told us about that?" Tim asked.

"It's not exactly a part of my life that I'm fond of remembering," he responded.

"If what she says is true - if," Remy emphasized, "then we have a lot we need to do. Tracking spells, containment spells, combat spells, the works. Not to mention finding out the symbol of those who originally banished them so we can replicate their banishment spells."

"Well, I must say you six have got a lot to do, don't you?" Lang Yan mused.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Mala asked.

"I have a whole life to put back together now don't I?"

"And what if Daolon Wong comes back? We can't deal with him if we're going to - as you say - fight Demon Sorcerers," said Drago.

"Oh, you won't have to worry about Daolon Wong. I took care of him after he let us out."

"You mean you…" Mavis began.

"Oh no, no, he's still very much alive. It's only if I break them when they die, as I did with your father," she said to Liam. "Daolon Wong will remain in his state so long as I wish it. I suppose I should wish the six of you luck."

"Wait, if you can see into the future, then you already know if we beat them… right?" Tim asked.

"Yeah, you can tell us if we already won, can't you?" Mavis asked next.

"Oh, I could, but I wouldn't want to ruin the story. Where's the fun in that?" she asked, leaving the apartment before anyone else could stop her.

* * *

**Did Lang Yan just break the fourth wall? She and Mavis have a lot in common XD But in all seriousness, I just LOVE writing Lang Yan. She is so much fun :3 If any readers need a refresher on characters, here's a handy list:**

**Linos - alias "Liam", shadow-sound demon hybrid, son of Tzan Ren and Hsian Ji  
Timothy Knight - intellectual genius, Chi Wizard apprentice to Mala  
Mavis Callahan - team coordinator, resident pop culture referencer and fourth wall breaker, LI to Linos  
Mala Reid - human-crystal demon hybrid, daughter of Lang Yan, LI to Drago  
Drago - canon character, you should already know him lol  
Remington Ryder - demon hunter, last of the Ryder clan**

**Also, to check out these four Demon Sorcerers, pop on over to my deviantart (link on my profile). Oh, and I just wanted to clear up that Daolon Wong is technically not dead. Many of you figured that he was when Lang Yan crystallized him, but crystallizing doesn't kill its more of a petrification. Now if she were to smash their crystallized forms like she did with Tzan Ren, then they would be dead.**


	2. Mother Knows Best

**I just got really into the mood for writing :D Oh, and in case some of you don't already know, D-Sniper and I are planning on doing a Q&A of any and all things Shadow Strikers related. You can ask anything you want, whether it be about characters, inspirations, how we came up with stuff. You can ask if something will happen, but we will be limited in how we can answer spoiler requests. There is no limit to how many questions you can ask. The more, the better (seriously, because I've had the journal up for weeks now and I've only got 3 questions -_-')**

* * *

"So, we've got four Demon Sorcerers on the loose, but we have no idea where they are and when they'll show up. Man this is so exciting!" Mavis beamed.

"Well, at least we know which Demon Sorcerers they are," said Tim. "I know you may not want to hear this Mala, but your mom gave us a huge advantage by telling us which ones escaped. This way we can look up information on them ahead of time."

"We don't even know if what she said is true! For all we know she could have told us the wrong elements on purpose to throw us off!" Mala argued.

"Why would she do that? Not that I'm starting to trust her too, but it doesn't make any logical sense why a Demon Sorceress would tip us off about other Demon Sorcerers," Remy added.

"Maybe she's trying to get rid of potential rivals?" Drago suggested.

"And using us to do it for her. Very clever," Tim complimented

"Either way, I still don't trust her. She's up to something, I just know it!" she insisted, crossing her arms.

"Be that as it may, now that we know which Sorcerers got out, we know how to beat them. When we get to Kuang's, we should start looking up information on them, specifically the symbol of the Chi Wizard who originally banished them. That'll be the most important component of the spell," Liam explained. Once the six of them made it to Kuang's store, they noticed a large moving van parked outside the building by the sidewalk as movers were loading boxes into it.

"Whoa, is someone moving?" Drago asked.

"Let's check it out," Remy said, leading the group into Kuang's store. "Master Kuang, what's going on? Is the store closing?"

"Aw, we can't lose our HQ!" Mavis groaned.

"No, no, not me, just one of my tenants upstairs," he explained.

"Tenants? You have tenants?" Mala asked, confused.

"Of course! I own this whole building, you know, not just the store," Kuang laughed. "Now I just need to find some new tenants. You wouldn't happen to know anyone looking for a place to stay, would you?"

"Actually, I've been meaning to look for a new place to live," Liam spoke up.

"Why? I thought you lived in that old clock tower that nobody goes to anymore," Drago asked.

"I did, but the city's decided to restore the building so I need to hightail it out of there soon," Liam answered.

"Count me in too," Remy chimed in as the others looked to him. "Honestly, the place I've been staying at since I got here is a real, as Mavis put it one the first day of school, 'shithole'. The whole building's being fumigated for termites and I would honestly love a new place to live."

"How much room is there?" Drago asked.

"It's two bedrooms, but the couch in the living room is a fold out couch," Kuang answered.

"You interested too, Drago?" Liam asked.

"Yeah, anywhere is a step up from where I'm crashing right now."

"Where have you been staying anyway?" Mala asked, but Drago remained silent. "Oh, please don't tell me you've been staying at a junkyard!" she realized.

"Ok… I won't tell you," he replied meekly.

"Drago! Why didn't you say something?"

"Well, at the time you were still mad at me and I knew bringing it up would only make things worse! Can you honestly say you wouldn't be angry about it if I had told you before we made up?" he argued.

Mala thought for a moment before conceding, "Yeah… you're right. It really would not have helped your case then."

"So, you boys are interested in renting the apartment?" Kuang asked.

The three of them exchanged glances before Liam spoke up, "yup!"

"Ah, excellent. The previous tenants should be finished moving out later today, so if you'd like, you can start moving your things in tomorrow. Oh and rent is $900 a month," he quickly added at the end.

"$900! Yikes, we're gonna have to get jobs. And last time I checked, people aren't really hiring demon hunters anymore," Remy chuckled.

"So how are we going to divide up the rooms?" Drago asked.

"You guys can take the beds and I'll take the couch," Liam offered.

"Really? You sure?" he asked again.

"Yeah, I like sleeping upside-down more anyway."

"Clinging to the ceiling like a…" Mavis began.

"Yes, like a bat. The irony is not lost on me Mavis," Liam sighed.

"Well, then it's settled. The three of us are going to live together. Man, if my parents could see me now, living in the same apartment as two demons," Remy said as they all laughed.

Later that evening, Mala returned home to her apartment, a grocery bag clutched in each of her hands as she fumbled for her keys to open her door. Once inside, she kicked the door shut with her heel and placed the grocery bags on her kitchen counter before putting everything away.

"You have such a lovely home, darling." Mala gasped and nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard another voice come from inside her apartment. Pearl immediately shifted into her battle form and placed herself between Mala and the intruder. "It's almost how I would have decorated. Perhaps you got more than just Demon Chi from me," Lang Yan came into the kitchen with a wide smirk on her face and hand on her waist.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Mala asked cautiously.

"Why I am spending time with my daughter. Isn't that what mothers do?" Lang Yan advanced on Pearl, unfazed by the constructs ready stance as she carefully examined Pearl's body. "Transformation into another form, certainly more suited for battle than the little one. And I suppose her physical strength and combat prowess makes up for your lack thereof. Very impressive indeed. You've created a construct that compliments your combat style," she complimented. "In all my years, I'd never be able to accomplish this level of mastery. How did you create her?"

"Why don't you check your crystal ball?" Mala retorted.

"Humor me."

Mala sighed, "I had a dream about a rabbit and when I woke up, she was just… there. I don't know how I made her."

"Interesting…" she said in deep thought. "So, what's for dinner?"

"Wait, what makes you think you're staying?" Mala asked, as Pearl shifted back into her default form.

"What mades you think I only came here to admire the decor? Think of me what you will Mala, I am still your mother. You and I are the only family we have and you are the only connection to this world that I have. You wouldn't want to push your mother away when she's making such an effort, would you?" Despite Lang Yan's argument, Mala remained silent. "Very well," she sighed, "one dinner is all I ask and you can consider us even for all the times I helped you and your friends."

"One dinner?" Mala asked again.

"One dinner."

"No strings attached?"

"No strings attached," Lang Yan repeated.

"Fine," Mala answered. "I'm making spaghetti," she declared, not even showing any concern if her mother would be all right with her meal choice.

"Excellent. I've missed Italian cuisine!" When Mala finished preparing their dinner, the two sat in silence across from each other in the dining room. Mala eyed her mother carefully, while Lang Yan simply enjoyed her meal. "I can't help but notice that you make spaghetti the same way I used to make it for you: little hotdogs cut up, mozzarella. You always loved my spaghetti," she mentioned casually.

"So?"

"So, perhaps I mean more to you than you care to admit."

"And what did I mean to you?" Mala asked.

"Hm?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about! Was there ever a point at all the entire time during your charade that dad and I meant something to you, even just a little?" she asked sincerely, her voice breaking near the end of her question.

"You've carried this weight for a long time, haven't you?"

"Ever since the day I found out. Dad didn't tell me right away; he only said that something came up and that you had to leave and that you might never come back. Day after day I'd ask him where you were and when you'd come home, but he'd just sigh and look at me with these sad eyes before hugging me. I couldn't tell them, but I know now that look in his eyes was one of heartbreak; I have experience with that. I tried to convince myself that maybe you had something important to do, that you were out there doing something good," Mala explained, vaguely noticing Lang Yan cast her eyes down sadly. "And then months after I kept asking and asking, he told me. He told me what happened, what you were… and what I was. I didn't believe him at first, at least not until I used my powers for the first time. And then I started to reevaluate the situation: we were just your cover, to keep people from finding out what you really were. You never loved us."

"Is that how you truly feel?" Lang Yan asked.

"I found out that my mother was a demon and she was just using us. How do you think that made me feel?" Mala snapped.

"You've had to deal with these feelings for so long. I'm sorry," she whispered sincerely.

"An apology from a Demon Sorceress doesn't mean anything," Mala said, crossing her arms defiantly.

"You may think of me what you will, Mala, that is your freedom. Where I come from, freedom is not something you already get to have. You have to fight tooth and nail for it. I know that my words will do nothing to sway you opinion. But perhaps one day, you will see the whole truth from all sides."

"What, did your crystal ball tell you that I'm going to forgive you and we're going to be a happy family?" she asked sarcastically.

"No," Lang Yan answered, "because my crystal ball does not show my your future."

"Wait, but I thought-" Mala began, confused.

"It is true that my crystal ball can show me the past, present and future of any being, any place and any thing. It takes days alone to see the future, medicating, focusing and keeping a clear mind. But no matter how hard or how long I maintain my focus, the one future I can never see clearly is yours."

"So what does that mean?" Mala asked.

"It means I can never know what will happen to you until it is happening."

"What if you looked at Drago's future? Wouldn't you see me in that?"

"I'd be able to see that you are in his future, but to what degree I would not be able to determine. Drago would be clear, but you would be blurry, something I'd be unable to make out."

"Is that why you're keeping such a close eye on me?"

"Yes. You see, I'm curious to see where your future leads," Lang Yan answered.

"And do what?"

"Just watch, I assure you. I'll not interfere unless I deem it necessary, as I did when you faced the illusion of me in the sewers."

"So, that was you?"

"Yes, my mind reached out to yours. Were it not for my intervention, who knows how long you would have been trapped in that illusion."

"So why did you do that? Why did you help me?" Mala asked.

"The same reason any mother would: to protect their child." Lang Yan's answer stunned Mala and left her speechless. As Mala tried to find the words to form a response, Lang Yan continued speaking, "Well, I really must be off now. Thank you for dinner, darling. It was most delicious." Mala simply stayed in stunned silence as she watched her mother leave the apartment and shut the door behind her.

* * *

A tall woman with long blonde hair in a high ponytail and dark red eyes strolled through a dark alleyway far off in another city. "Now, if I were a little crow, where would I perch?" she mused to herself.

"Hmph, I would hardly consider myself 'little'." Suddenly a large winged figure jumped down from the rooftops above as his glowing red eyes cut right through the darkness of the night. "I'm certainly larger than you. Why are you in that hideous form?"

"It helps keep the humans from catching on, Tai. It's called discretion; you should try it some time."

"As if I would even consider taking on a human form! Though I'm not surprised that you would take it, given how 'comfortable' you've become with their kind, Lang Yan," Tai scoffed.

"If the mighty 'High Sun' has a point, would he kindly get to it? I'd hate to walk away from this thinking that I had completely wasted my time after I made such an effort to get here," she commented, examining her fingernails before turning into her demon form.

"Then why has the Wolf Eyes graced me with her presence?" Tai asked, showing interest in her words.

"To warn you," she answered.

"Warn me? Of what?" he asked, pressing her for more information.

"Would I be correct to assume that you have ambitions to conquer this world?"

"Of course. Everything the sun touches is mine," he boasted.

"Well, I oh so hate to be the bearer of bad news," she began sarcastically, "but you will fail."

"Hold your tongue, human lover!" he cawed.

"Please, Tai Ci," she said, easing him. Despite Tai's growing hostility, Lang Yan remained calm and collected, as if unfazed at all by the threat he posed. "I have seen your future and I have seen that you will fail."

"What? What did you see?" he shouted, dashing over to her in a gust of wind, for his curiosity could not be contained.

"Be calm and I shall tell you," she replied, holding her hand out to keep him from getting too close to her.

"In one of the human cities called Los Angeles are six young teenagers, the guardians of this world," she said, holding up her crystal ball in one hand while hold her other over it to show him an image of the six she spoke of.

"Hmph, they don't look like much!" he scoffed.

"Humans don't normally appear so, but look at how much they've accomplished, especially against us," she snapped back.

"…Go on."

"If you wish to take this world as your own, they will stand in your way. In the moment where you believe victory is in your grasp, they will prevail against all odds and defeat you, send you back to the hellhole we all hate so much."

"These… children stand in my way, do they?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Then I will destroy them and then this world will be mine! You say these children will come to me and I will lose? Well, I will go to them and destroy them before your prophecy can come to fruition!" he declared, taking off into the night sky with the beat of his wings.

As the dust settled and Tai Ci disappeared into the distance, Lang Yan smirked to herself before changing back into her human form, holding her crystal ball - now tiny and around her neck - between her thumb and index finger. "Perfect, everything is going according to plan."

* * *

**So maybe Lang Yan isn't as straight and narrow as we thought...**

**Next chapter - The Shadow Strikers are caught off guard by Tai Ci's surprise attack!**


	3. School Tradition

**So it's been a while since I updated. I have been mostly working on my Blackburn Jaegers and Night Riders stories, so I wanted to at least squeeze some time in for this story especially before I have to buckle down for summer class assignments. **

* * *

"So your mother broke into your apartment and you actually sat down and had dinner with her?" Tim asked.

"Yup," Mala answered. "Seriously, why is it so easy for people to break into where I live? First, Drago and now my mother!"

"Totally a running gag right there," Mavis commented.

"Did you hit her with a frying pan?" Drago asked, recalling the first time he had broken into her apartment back in San Francisco.

"No, but Pearl was ready to punch her," she answered. "But that wasn't the weirdest thing!"

"Oh, it gets weirder, do tell!" Mavis exclaimed, leaning across the lunch table on her elbows as she rested her hands under his chin.

"Well, she was telling me how, you know, she can see the future and all."

"Right, Crystallomancy. She mentioned that when we met her," Tim added.

"Yeah, well she said that the only future she can't see is mine! That doesn't even make sense and why would she say that? Do you guys think she's just making this up to get close to me?"

"Eh, wouldn't be the first time a parent lied to their child in an effort to get close to them. One time my parents told me there was cake downstairs, when really it was just a trick to get me there so they could talk about my latest bad grade. People should never lie about cake," Mavis noted.

"Hang on, let's say for a moment that she is telling the truth. Why would she tell you that she can't see your future?" Remy asked.

"I dunno, but she said that's why she's keeping such a close eye on me."

"Maybe she wants to make sure nothing bad happens to you," Drago suggested.

"But what puzzles me is why she can't see your future. She can see anything she wants right? Past, present and future? But you appear to an exception to the latter," Remy noted.

"Maybe it's a family thing," Liam said, finally joining the conversation.

"What do you mean, Liam?" Mavis asked.

"Lang Yan has the power of Crystallomancy and Mala inherited her Crystal Demon Chi from her mother. What if Mala has Crytstallomancy too?" he suggested.

"Ohhh, you can see the future? Can you tell me what tomorrow's history test is going to be on? Pretty please, I swear I won't tell anyone!" Mavis whispered.

"Haha, oh that's a good one. Me, Crystallomancy?" she laughed, "You guys can't be serious! I can't see the future!"

"I dunno…" Drago started.

"What do you mean 'I dunno'?" Remy asked.

"Well remember back in San Francisco? You said to me twice that I would fail, and I did!"

"But that wasn't a prediction that was just common sense! An estimation based on how poorly you were already doing! Not me looking into the future!" she protested.

"Liam is it possible for demons to develop abilities later on in life?" Tim asked.

"It's not unheard of. Even though I was born with Shadow Demon Chi from the start, I couldn't successfully merge into my shadow until I was seven! Maybe this is a new ability that's just surfaced, or something Mala's always had but never known about."

"You guys are being ridiculous! There's a better chance of a car flying through the cafeteria than me having Crystallomancy!" Mala shouted. All of a sudden, a car flew right through the wall, smashing the windows to pieces. Students dove out of the way of the car rolled to a stop in the middle of the cafeteria before panic and hysteria spread. Mavis turned to Mala with a wide grin on her face, but before she could say anything, Mala shouted, "THAT WAS JUST A COINCIDENCE!"

As students panicked, some scrambled to flee while others pulled out their phones to record the event. "Humans!" shouted a loud, shrill voice, "Bow before the High Sun!" A large humanoid crow with wings on it's back, three arms – two on the left and one on the right – and brilliant, glowing red eyes came through the hole left by the car. "Humans and their toys," he muttered, waving his hands as he used his magnetism to raise every student's phones before crushing them with sheer magnetic force. "Where are this world's defenders! I know you are here!" he shouted as the remaining students fled in terror.

"Crap! That's Tai Ci!" Liam exclaimed as they ducked behind a flipped lunch table.

"The Sun Demon?" Tim asked.

"Yeah, that's the one! But what's he doing here?" Mala asked.

"He's obviously here for us! Who else in this school could possibly count as 'this world's defenders'?" Mavis pointed out.

"If that's true, how did he know where to find us?" Drago asked.

"And the school tradition lives on!" Mavis exclaimed excitedly.

"It doesn't matter now. He's here and if we don't contain him, people are going to get hurt," said Remy, dressed in his hunting gear.

"Wait, when did you- How did you?" Mavis stammered, unable to even finish her questions out of sheer shock.

"First rule of demon hunting: always be ready to change into your gear at a moments notice!" Remy answered.

"This explains so much, like how you're always the first one out of the change rooms for gym," Tim said.

"That's not important now!" Liam shouted.

"Right, right, sorry!" Tim apologized.

"What's the plan?" Drago asked.

"We fight him and send that demon crow back to where he came from!" Liam answered.

"Aw yeah, time to kick some butt!" Mavis exclaimed.

"No, not you!" Liam cut in.

"What? Why not?" Mavis pouted.

"We're at school Mavis, people will recognize you and Tim, but not us in our demon forms and… and Remy in his hood and scarf," Liam added as Remy pulled his hood over his head and his scarf up so that it covered his face. "You head to Kuang's with Tim and get working on the banishment spell. We'll try to hold him as long as we can so you'll need to hurry!"

"We're on it. Come on, Mavis," Tim said.

"Fine, fine, I'm coming," she muttered, upset at having to miss the action that was sure to go down.

Tai Ci caught sight of Mavis and Tim as they ran towards the doors. The demon raised his hand, lifting one of the metal cafeteria tables, but before he could send it flying at the two humans, a fireball struck the demon crow in his face. He stumbled back, caught off guard by the blow and the cafeteria table roughly dropped onto the floor. "Who dares?" he sneered. The demon turned to the direction the fireball came from and saw three demons and a masked hunter. "My, my, she didn't say Earth's protectors would be demons, traitors to their own kind."

"She? Who's he talking about?" Drago asked.

"The Wolf Eyes told me that you children would be my undoing, though she did not say her spawn would be among you," Tai Ci spoke, focusing his attention on Mala.

"My mother?" Mala asked.

"Yes, the Wolf Eyes, the Crystal Prophetess, she goes by many names. She foresaw my defeat by your hands. What a ridiculous notion! The great Sun Demon Sorcerer defeated by mere children! So I have come here to change this future she saw!" he declared, raising his three arms and using his magnetism to levitate every metal object near him.

"Ah!" Remy felt himself being pulled forward by Tai Ci's power.

"Remy!" Linos cried out after his friend.

"Hm, you seem to have a lot of metal on you. Allow me to relieve you of your equipment, hunter," Tai Ci smirked, waving one of his arms as every sword, dagger and metallic equipment flew off of Remy's body and floated in the air above Tai Ci. Remy dropped onto the floor roughly as the crow towered over him menacingly. He brought his hand down, forcing the swords and daggers to rain down onto Remy, who raised his arms to shield himself from the attack as best as he could. But before the blades could strike him, Linos appeared out of Remy's shadow and pulled his friend back into the shadow with him before resurfacing back by Mala and Drago.

"Damn it, he's got all my weapons!" Remy cursed.

"It's ok, Remy. Is there anything else you have on you that he can't get?" Mala asked.

"My blood vials, but that's about it. All my weapons and stun grenades are metal!"

"That'll have to do for now. Everyone remember the plan? We keep Tai Ci busy until Tim and Mavis get back with the spell. He even tries to leave the school campus, you turn him around!"

"Right!" the others said in unison while nodding their heads.

* * *

"Tim! Mavis! What are you two doing here? You should be in school!" Kuang scolded as the pair rushed into his store towards his back workshop.

"Yeah, long story, Kuang. One of those Demon Sorcerers Daolon Wong freed showed up at our school throwing cars and shit! Huh… I guess it's not that long of a story," Mavis explained.

"Oh my, where are the others? Are they all right?" he asked, joining the pair in his back room.

"If we don't get back with a banishment spell, they won't be for long!" Tim replied, pulling out one of the large volumes from Kuang's bookshelf.

"Which demon was it?" Kuang asked.

"The big black bird one with the weird third arm," Mavis said, trying to show a third arm on her, albeit unsuccessfully.

"Uh, Tim?" Kuang asked, instead deferring to Tim for the answer.

"Tai Ci," he answered while quickly flipping through pages and scanning the passages for a specific spell.

"Oh my, Tai Ci, that's not good!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah and there's no telling how long the others will hold out. I need to find Tai Ci's banishment spell and the object representing the original Chi Wizard who defeated him," Tim said. Deep down, he was greatly worried for his friends, but knew that if he was going to help them, he had to focus on the task at hand. He couldn't fail them.

"Well, that's the right book for the spell, but if you want the immortal object, it'll be in this history volume," Kuang said, pointing up to one of the books higher up. "Ah, Mavis, could you help me get that?"

"No problem!" she chirped, climbing up the bookshelf, grabbing the book Kuang pointed out before jumping off the bookshelf. "Here ya go!" she smiled, handing him the book.

"Thank you my dear. We must hurry, some of the ingredients will take time to prepare."

* * *

"Where's Tim with that damned Chi spell?" Linos shouted, sinking into his shadow in order to avoid another car Tai Ci sent at him.

"Chi spells take time to prepare, Linos! We just have to keep Tai Ci busy to give them time!" Mala cried back as they hid behind a crystal barrier.

Tai Ci floated above them and raised his arms, raising up the arsenal of bladed weapons he had relieved from Remy. While he did this, Remy threw his blood vials towards Tai Ci, but the demon peeled the hood off of a car and used it to shield himself from the blood. He lightly brushed his hand over the four blades that hung from the fabric around his waist. The blade floated up as their opened up into three-bladed circular discs. "You are this world's defenders? I don't know what I was worried about," he smirked.

"Take cover!" Drago shouted as Tai Ci waved his arm, sending all the metal weapons raining down towards them.

"Remy! Hurry!" Linos called as Remy ran in a serpentine formation to dodge and avoid his own weapons. As he neared Mala's crystal barrier, he jumped forward to slide right behind the barrier. Right before he made it, one of Tai Ci's circular blades came by and sliced his palm.

"Ah!" he hissed in pain, clutching his arm as he landed roughly behind Mala's barrier.

"Remy! Are you ok?" Mala asked.

"Don't touch me!" he quickly shouted, covering his hand and moving away from them.

"She's just trying to help!" Linos shouted back.

"I know, I'm sorry! But we all know what happens if any of you touch my blood!" he reminded. "This might actually work out."

"What do you mean?" Drago asked.

"None of my blood vials hit him, but if I can get in close, I can give him a direct exposure to my blood," Remy explained.

"It's our best chance! Drago and Mala, you two distract Tai Ci while Remy and I come at him from behind. If we can get Remy's blood on him, it should weaken him enough," Linos commanded.

"Right!" Drago and Mala said in unison as they jumped out from behind Mala's barrier.

"Hmph, to think, me defeated by mere children? Humans and filthy half-breeds? Perhaps the Wolf Eyes does not see as clearly as she thinks," Tai Ci taunted as he fired a bright beam of solar energy from his eyes. In response, Mala raised a large crystal pillar that absorbed the beam. She raised two similar ones to her side as the beam traveled through the second pillar to the third before being redirected right towards Tai Ci. The demon crow nearly fell out of the sky after being struck by his own attack, but he regained himself in mid-air before glaring viciously at Mala. "You redirected my Sun Beam," he muttered, "You will pay for this wretched half-breed!" Tai Ci shot his arm forward, the chain on his shackle extending forwards towards her.

"Mala, look out!" Drago shouted, pushing her out of the way as the chain wrapped firmly around his waist and one of his arms.

"Hm? Oh well, I'm not picky over who I finish off first!" Tai Ci pulled the chain and Drago swiftly into the air.

"Drago! Hang on!" Mala flew up, trying to catch up to Drago as Tai Ci flailed him roughly back and forth.

"I don't think so, girl!" A chain from Tai Ci's other wrist wrapped securely around her ankle, swiftly bringing her back to the ground. She landed roughly on her back and as she tried to sit up, she felt the chain around her ankle creep up the rest of her body, binding her arms and legs tightly. As Mala struggled against her restraints, Pearl rushed over to her master, sharpening her rounded paws into talons as she tore through the chains and helped Mala up.

"Thanks, Pearl. I can't get close to Tai Ci…" Mala thought out loud. "Oh, I have an idea! Hang on, Drago!" Mala raised her hand, materializing a crystal sword in the air. As Tai Ci kept flinging Drago around, he reached for Mala's crystal sword and sliced through the chains that bound him. However, this sent him flying off into a far away tree and he landed right in the thick branches and leaves.

Before Tai Ci mount another attack, he felt something wrap tightly around his legs. "What the?" He looked down to see shadow tendrils wrapping tightly around his legs before reaching up for his wrists. "Ah, what is this?" he hissed angrily, trying to fight his bindings.

"Remy, now!" Linos shouted as he brought his hands together. Remy towards him and jumped onto Linos' hands, who then hoisted him up as hard as he could. Remy flew right up to Tai Ci and grabbed the crow demon around his neck with one arm before pressing his bleeding hand right into the demon's face.

"Ahhh!" Tai Ci cawed, trying to shake Remy off while the demon hunter pressed his hand against Tai Ci's eye and the middle of his face right above his beak.

"Remy, look out!" Linos shouted. Remy turned his head sharply just in time to see his own weapons pointed down on them. He quickly released his hold on Tai Ci as the blades came down right into Tai Ci's back, causing the demon crow to caw in pain and anger. "Nice one!" Linos cried as Remy landed flawlessly next to him.

"We got it! We got the spell!" The four teens looked over the source of the voice to see Tim and Mavis running towards them.

"Then let's end this!" Linos shouted.

"Ok, ok, spell: check, compass: check. Ok, here we go. Yu mo gui guai fai di zao," Tim began, repeating the enchantment over and over as the spell and compass began glowing. A bright beam fired out from the compass towards Tai Ci as he cried out in defeat. However, before the portal appeared, the light faded and an invisible force knocked Tim back roughly onto the ground.

"Tim!" Linos called, rushing to his friend. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered.

"Uh, that didn't look right guys… was that supposed to happen?" Mavis asked.

"No, a portal was supposed to appear. Why did a portal appear?" Mala asked, confused.

"Hahaha, you have failed. This world is as good as mine!" Tai Ci angrily declared, turning to face them with his vicious glowing, red eyes and menacing burn scar across his face from Remy's blood.

* * *

**Well, how was that? As usual, I'm interested in hearing any thoughts or concerns you have about the story and characters. ^_^**


	4. Sunset

**Yay another chapter! :D I'll admit, I fell out of the mood for writing for a bit (probably because I'm really itching to get to a specific point in this story) but I managed to find my motivation and get back into it. **

**Also, for those interested, I have an AU idea revolving around the Shadow Strikers that I will bring up at the end of the chapter.**

* * *

"What's going on? Why didn't that work?" Mavis shouted.

"Tim!" Linos barked.

"I-I don't know! I prepared the spell perfectly and everything! And the book said the object that represented the original Chi Wizard who defeated Tai Ci was a compass!" Tim cried back, holding up the compass that he had previously used to track the thirteen coins.

"Maybe you got the spell wrong!" Mavis suggested.

"I read the instructions twice over! I didn't get the spell wrong!" he angrily insisted.

"Head's up!" Remy shouted, as Tai Ci descended upon them.

"I'll make you children wish you were never born!" the crow shouted bitterly. Tai Ci shot his three arms forward as the chains on his shackles lengthened and wrapped around their bodies tightly.

"Can't… breathe…" Linos struggled to speak as the chains wrapped tighter and tighter, nearly cutting into his skin.

"Haha, feel that last breath of air being squeezed out of your tiny bodies," he cackled. "You will pay for your insolence against the High Sun!" He closed one of his hands into a fist as the chains tightened once again, causing his victims to groan and cry out in pain as they felt the life being literally squeezed out of them. Tai Ci was too focused on the anguish and suffering of his enemies to notice a swift moving figure run up to him from behind. A large blue wolf jumped onto Tai Ci's back and sunk its fang deep into his shoulder. Tai Ci screeched out in pain as he lost his focus and the chains slackened, freeing the six teenagers.

"Wh-what happened?" Mala asked, desperately catching her breath as her friends did the same.

As Tai Ci struggled against his mysterious attacker, he finally managed to pull the wolf off him and throw it across to the other side of the parking lot. The wolf landed with ease as it dug its claws into the ground to slow itself down.

"Mom?" Mala whispered.

"Lang Yan! What are you doing!" Tai Ci shouted. "You showed me that they would defeat me, you helped me, but now you stop me?"

"I never said I did that to help you, stupid crow!" she growled back.

"Traitor to your own kind… just like your filthy half-spawn!" Tai Ci hissed as the two Demon Sorcerers charged at each other.

"What's she doing here?" Mala shouted.

"I don't know, but she just saved our hides!" Drago replied.

"Yeah but why? Tai Ci said so himself that she was the one who told him about us. She's the reason he attacked us here in the first place!" Remy added, shouting over the battle cries of the two fighting demons.

"None of this is making any sense!" Mala screamed, grabbing her hair.

"Quick, while he's distracted we have to figure out why that spell didn't work! Tim," Linos began.

"I triple check the ingredients and instructions. I didn't miss a single step! I don't understand what could be wrong!" Tim cried.

"What did the books say was the object of banishment?" Remy asked.

"A compass," Tim answered, "That's why I brought this again. Before we used it to track the Coins, but a compass is still a compass and I figured it should work here."

"Unless the book is talking about something else," Mavis commented.

Everyone was quiet for a moment until Tim gasped loudly and grabbed Mavis by the shoulders. "MAVIS! You're a genius!" he shouted.

"I am?" she asked. "I mean, I am! It's about time these Callahan brains were getting the recognition they deserve!" she boasted, pointing to herself with her thumb as she smirked widely.

"Wait, what's going on Tim?" Linos asked.

"I think I figured out what I did wrong! Just buy me some time!" he called, running off into the school through the giant hole in the side of the cafeteria. He ran through the school halls as quickly as he could before finally coming to his locker. He turned the dial as quickly as his could, but the sweat on his fingertips made them slip as he desperately tried to input the right combination. "No, no, come on!" he shouted, banging his fist against the locker door, the metal clanging loudly at the impact. Suddenly, Tim felt himself being pulled away from his locker. He caught a glimpse of Linos moving fast as his demon friend dug his talons into Tim's locker door and tore the metal off its hinges with ease. "Was that really necessary?" Tim asked.

"Hey, it was either that or watching you fumble with the your locker!" Linos replied, tossing Tim's locker door aside. "So what are you here to get?"

"Just a second," Tim said, digging through everything in his locker before pulling out a small box. "Ah, here it is! My geometry kit!"

"You ditched the fight for your geometry kit? What are you going to do? Bore Tai Ci to death with math? I mean, it works on Mavis, but I don't think you'll get the same results."

"Just trust me!" Tim cried as the two made their way back outside where Lang Yan still fought against Tai Ci while the other simply stood aside and watched. "Why aren't you guys doing anything?"

"Eh, she's got this," Mavis said with an approving nod.

"I can see where you get your power from, Mala," Remy complimented, but Mala didn't respond to this.

"Ok guys, I think I know what I did wrong with the banishment spell! The history books said that a compass was the symbol of the Chi Wizard who originally banished Tai Ci," Tim began explaining.

"Yeah, and that's what you had," Drago added.

"Yes, that technically was a compass, but there's more than one kind of compass!" Tim opened his geometry kit and pulled out his geometry compass.

"Ah, math!" Mavis shrieked, pointing to the geometry compass as if it were some vile thing that had caused her great suffering.

"Calm down, Mavis!" Mala cried.

"I figured when my navigational compass didn't work, it must have been because I had the wrong kind of compass!"

"So the spell will work now?" Remy asked.

"I've still got one charge left. Here's hoping I was right about my mistake."

"But what about Lang Yan? She's too close to Tai Ci!" Linos exclaimed.

"The spell is specific for Sun Demons. Even if it hits Lang Yan, it won't affect her. She should be fine," Tim explained.

"That's a shame," Mala muttered under her breath.

As Tim pointed the correct compass up towards Tai Ci, who was busy deflecting Lang Yan's large crystal wheels, he began muttering the spell. The compass began glowing and Tai Ci sharply turned around to see Tim beginning the spell. "NOOOO!" he bellowed. Lang Yan leapt up to him, but he easily threw her off and away. He raised his hand and used his magnetism to pull the compass away from Tim.

"Wh-whoooaaaa!" Tim screamed as he felt Tai Ci's magnetism pull the compass from his hand. However, Tim refused to let go and gripped the compass tightly in his palm. Just as the force of the magnetism got stronger, it lifted Tim right off the ground. "Guys! A little help here!"

"I gotcha buddy!" Linos leapt into the air and grabbed onto Tim's ankles with his large hands. The added force of Linos' weight brought Tim down a little bit, so Tai Ci grunted and increased the magnetic pull.

"Come on, guys!" Mavis exclaimed, running up and grabbing onto one of Linos' legs tightly. Drago ran up and did the same on Linos' other leg while Remy grabbed onto Drago's tail.

"Ow! Watch the tail, man!" he roared.

"Sorry!" Remy shouted back. But, even with the four of them weighing Tim down, Tai Ci's magnetic pull was still stronger.

"Ah, we're still not heavy enough!" Tim shouted.

"Hang on!" Mala cried. She grabbed onto Remy's legs and stomped her feet into the ground. Crystal spikes appeared around her feet and spread up to her legs, anchoring her to the ground securely as she maintained a tight grip on her friends.

"Oh, hey, hey that's working!" Tim exclaimed with a smile.

"Hurry up and do the spell!" Linos shouted.

"Right, right, sorry!" Tim apologized before reciting the spell again.

"I don't think so puny humans," Tai Ci muttered, narrowing his eyes at them. He raised his arms and sent his four circular blades flying at Tim. Though he saw the blades coming, Tim refused to stop reciting the spell, but shut his eyes tightly in anticipation of the impact.

Instead, they heard Tai Ci shriek in pain. When Tim reopened his eyes, he saw Lang Yan, in her wolf form with her fangs buried deep into Tai's neck. With his concentration broken, his four blades fell to the ground. "It's time for the sun to set," Lang Yan whispered. She removed her fangs from Tai Ci's shoulder, her mouth dripping in the demon's dark blood before jumping off him and landing expertly on her feet. "Now, Timothy!"

Tim nodded as he finished reciting the last line of the spell. A bright green light shot out from the compass and struck Tai Ci in the chest. "No…NOOOOO!" he shouted, realizing what was about to happen. With eyes wide in fear, he turned to see a large green Chinese-style gateway with a red swirling vortex rise up behind him. The wind began picking up as Tai Ci was pulled into the gateway, his defeated scream fading away as the gate closed and disappeared. With the demon gone, his magnetic pull faded, causing all but Mala to fall onto the ground roughly.

"Everyone ok?" Linos asked, pushing himself into a sitting position while moving off Tim.

"Yeah…" they all groaned, as each of them rubbed their arms, head, or anywhere else they landed roughly on.

"We… did it?" Tim asked, almost unsure that his spell had worked.

"… We did," Mala breathed.

"Awww yeah, guys we just beat an all powerful Demon Sorcerer! Oo-oo, oo-oo!" Mavis exclaimed, dancing about excitedly. "Ohhhh, souvenirs!" she said, picking up one of Tai Ci's four sun blades that didn't get sent back to the Netherworld with him.

"Uh, I think I should probably hold on to that," Remy said, taking the blade from Mavis, who pouted in response, before gathering the other three. "Besides, we should be sure that there's no lingering demonic aura on them. Hm, these are actually very durable, good quality," Remy said, examining one of the blades as he opened it up. "Maybe I'll add them to my own arsenal."

"Well, that was very exciting, wasn't it?" Everyone turned to face Lang Yan as the demoness made her way over to them.

"You! What the hell is wrong with you? First you tell Tai Ci about us and then you help us fight him? What are you playing at?" Mala yelled, marching straight up to her mother.

"A simple 'thank you' would suffice, you know. Had I not interfered, your spell would not have finished in time," she replied, lightly patting Mala on the head, an action which only served to anger Mala more.

"And if you hadn't told him about us, he wouldn't have attacked us while we were at school!" she maintained, while emphasizing the last part of her argument.

"And had I not told him about you, he would have gone elsewhere, destroyed some other city without capable defenders such as yourself to stop him. By informing Tai Ci of his inevitable fate, I ensured that his future would be set. Besides, I'm certain you lot can't possible make a trip out of the city to who knows where Tai would have struck without arousing suspicion from your schoolmates and families?" Lang Yan casually explained. "All I did was send you Tai Ci on a silver platter and made your job much easier."

"I don't believe you. You're up to something, I know it!"

"Oh sweetheart, you don't have to believe me. Everything is going according to plan."

"And what is that plan?" Linos asked.

"You'll all find out eventually, but if it helps put you at ease, you and your world will be fine when this is all over," she said with a smile, before departing.

"Can you believe her?" Mala exclaimed.

"Telling the enemy about us? Low, man, real low," Mavis added.

"Thank you!"

"Actually, I can kinda see where she's coming from," Tim started.

"…We're not friends anymore," Mala simply stated.

"No, no, just hear me out! Yes, it was terrible that Tai Ci attacked us at school, destroyed more of the campus than you and Linos did, and almost exposed you guys, but in the long run it did make everything easier in the bigger picture. Imagine if Lang Yan didn't send Tai Ci our way, we'd have to track him to some other city or maybe even halfway around the world and there's no way my or Mavis' parents will believe any excuse we come up with to ditch school for that," he reasoned.

"…Fine!" Mala conceded, "but if she told Tai Ci about us, chances are she's told the other three as well."

"Right, we'll have to keep our guard up and keep an eye out for any magical anomalies," Linos said, "Who knows which one might come after us next?"

* * *

**Well, I hope you guys enjoyed that. As usual, please please please leave a comment and let us know how much you like the story and any other thoughts you may have on it.**

**So, that AU idea I had would basically be a take on the Demon World two part episodes, but specifically where the Shadow Strikers would be in this alternate world. Linos, Mala and Drago would essentially be royalty since Demon Sorcerers rule the world. Linos however, would retain his personality and love for humans and under a human disguise "Liam", lead a secret revolution against Demon Sorcerers alongside his personal servants/best friends Tim and Mavis. Mala would live a very isolated life in her mother's palace - having never been allowed to go out - and believes that she's a full demon. She's a little more pretentious and naive than her original incarnation, but when she discovers the truth of her parentage, she suffers a bit of an existential and identity crisis before deciding to run away from home and join the human revolution. Drago would be the arrogant little demon we all know him to be from the show, but still have a close friendship with Mala. But when she comes to him for help, he turns her away for siding with humans. But when Shen Du declares that for siding with humans, Mala must die, Drago decides to help her. Remy will be the same demon-hating hunter he was before originally meeting the Shadow Strikers. He tries to assassinate Mala, but fails and is captured. When Mala runs away, she rescues him and they begin to form a very close relationship (potential RemyxMalaxDrago love triangle).**

**So what do you guys think? Is that something you'd be interested in seeing?**

**Next chapter: The Shadow Strikers new biology teacher is more than she appears to be.**


	5. Substitute

**Another chapter, yay! Not sure when I'll get the next one up since I'll be a bit preoccupied with summer course assignments. But, knowing me, I'll find some time in between sessions. **

* * *

"Wow, the school definitely reacted fast," Mavis commented, noticing the construction equipment and workers tending to the damaged cafeteria.

"The principal must have them on speed dial, considering what happened at the start of last term," Tim added.

"Yeah, we weren't here for that. What exactly happened?" Drago asked, referring to himself and Remy.

"Well, I had just met Mavis and she introduced me to Tim and Liam. Neither of us knew the other was a demon since we were in our human forms," Mala began explaining.

"But when we shook hands… And let's just say I made a bad assumption and attacked her," Liam said regretfully with a nervous chuckle.

"Yeah, and then Pearl punched you in the face," Mavis exclaimed loudly, remembering the moment excitedly.

"Must I bear this cross forever!?" Liam cried.

"Either way, we were lucky that we managed to localize damage to the cafeteria," said Remy.

"Yeah… because that was a good thing," Mavis muttered sarcastically.

"Come on, Mavis, you have to get over it. Even if we ended up destroying part of the school, we still have to go to class. You know, in the part of the school that hasn't been damaged," Tim said, only to receive more indiscernible muttering from Mavis.

"Look on the bright side, Mavis. We're going to start dissection in biology today. I know how much you've been looking forward to that," Mala said, trying to cheer her friend up.

"Hey, that's right! I bet I can get Stephanie Marcus to throw up again! Hahaha!" Mavis cackled as she instantly perked up. Just as the bell rang, they made their way to the biology lab, as Mavis eagerly fidgeted in her seat. Instead of single desks like other classrooms, they sat in two rows of long counters with a sink in the middle and two seats on either side. Because the counters were so much higher, they sat in height-adjustable, wheeled chairs. Mavis was particularly fond of this classroom because she could spin around and around in the chair until she got dizzy.

To their surprise, one of the other teachers entered the classroom and addressed the students. "Good morning class, I'm afraid Mr. Butler is out sick today. So, you'll be having a substitute for the next few days."

"What happened to Mr. Butler?" asked one of the students.

"He's out with a nasty case of food poisoning."

"Probably tried the lasagne, poor fool," Mavis whispered to Liam, who snickered in response but quickly covered his mouth with his hand so the teacher couldn't hear him.

"Of course, we're all hoping that Mr. Butler will make a speedy recovery and get back to teaching as soon as he's able to. So, class, please help me in welcoming your substitute until then, Ms. Forest." A tall, beautiful woman with long blonde hair that reached just past her waist entered the room. She wore a matching green skirt and blazer with a pale pink blouse underneath and dark green heels. In her hair, right above her right ear was a white flower and her eyes were a dark red. As she entered the room, a gust of a flowery odour washed over them.

_'Must be her perfume,'_ most of them thought.

Suddenly, Liam let out a loud sneeze and sniffled while rubbing his nose.

"Liam, you ok?" Mala asked.

"Yeah, I just think I'm allergic to that smell," he sniffled.

"It must be her perfume. It's definitely got a very… powerful odour," Mala commented, waving her hand to waft the fumes that stung her nostrils away.

"Good morning, class," Ms. Forest began as the other teacher left the classroom. "My name is Ms. Forest," she continued, writing her name on the chalk board, sketching a few vines and flowers as she wrote her name. "Now, who can tell me where you last were with Mr. Butler's lesson?" she addressed the class.

Mavis raised her hand and spoke when Ms. Forest called on her. "Well, we were supposed to do dissections today."

"Dissection? Oh no, no, no that won't do! I've reviewed Mr. Butler's curriculum for this term and I must say, I'm very disappointed on how little you're covering plant life!"

"Well, plants aren't really important," said one of the classmates.

"How dare you! Plants are very important! Nature is all around us and nobody seems to care because they're more concerned about _animals_," she said, with a disdainful tone. "It's because of humans interfering with the planet's eco-system that mother nature is suffering!" Ms. Forest spent the rest of the class lecturing students on how much more important plants were than other animals, human society even! Many of them found the situation odd and high unorthodox, but they didn't want to speak out against her again, not after seeing the extent of her temper when one of the students had previously suggested how insignificant plants are. To make matters worse, she assigned them a fifteen page essay on the biology and importance of plants. Everyone happily exclaimed in their minds when the bell rang, signalling their release from this torture. As they filed out of the room, Ms. Forest smiled at them and wished them all a good rest of the day before patting each student on the shoulder. Normally, they would have questioned this sudden change in demeanor, but everyone was just glad to be out of there. "Have a great day!" she smiled, patting Liam, Mala and Drago on the shoulder as they exited the classroom. Her eyes widened briefly as she did, but she quickly recomposed herself and shut the classroom door behind them.

"Whoa," Drago shuddered, "did you guys feel that?"

"Feel what?" Tim asked.  
"I dunno, but when she touched us, I just felt this weird pulse of energy go through me," he explained.

"Me too," Mala added.

"Yeah, same here!" Liam said too.

"There's definitely something strange about that woman," Remy joined in.

"I'll tell you what she is! She's evil!" Mavis exclaimed loudly, causing the rest of them to stare at her with blank expressions.

"Mavis, I'll admit, she may be… 'passionate' about her subject matter, but I don't think she's evil," Mala tried reasoning with her.

"Ohoho, no, she's evil. She took away dissection day! EVIL!"

"I'm sure it's nothing, you guys. We've had weirdo subs before and believe me, she doesn't make the top five," Tim said.

"I don't even want to know," Drago said, shaking his head.

"Good call," Mavis added.

* * *

Ms. Forest strolled through the park as the street lights came on. By this time of night, most people would be at home enjoying the evening with their families. But not her. Well, at least not entirely. She was technically going to see family, but they had far more important things to do then enjoy the evening. She came to a stop suddenly, scanning the area around her before two dishevelled-looking men came out from the bushes and advanced towards her. One pulled out a knife while the other grinned menacingly, showing a missing tooth as he grinned. "Hey there, pretty lady, don't you know it's not safe to be out alone in the dark?"

"Hehehe, yeah, now hand over all yer money… and valuables too!" the other quickly added, holding up his knife to show he meant business.

When Ms. Forest didn't do anything, the first man stepped up to her. "Now, now, if you cooperate, we'll be real niiiice," he whispered, picking up a strand of her hair and sniffing it.

Ms. Forest groaned in annoyance as she pulled her hair from the man's hands and pushed him away.

"Now, you're gonna get it, bitch!" yelled the man with a knife as he charged towards her.

Ms. Forest didn't flinch for a second and instead, she simply waved her hands and vines suddenly sprouted from the nearby trees. The vines snaked around both mens' bodies, binding them tightly before raising them into the air. Before they could let out any screams, vines wrapped securely around their mouths, muffling their cries so no one could hear them. "Pfft, men," she spat, continuing on her way as the vines pulled the men high up into the trees, unseen by anyone else. Once she exited the park, she made her way down several blocks to an abandoned lots with several old, run down buildings. They looked like they hadn't been used in years, almost like they were just forgotten and left behind. Ms. Forest cut behind the side of the building and entered through the back door. She didn't want to draw attention to their location, at least, not yet.

"Sister!" Ms. Forest called out, "I have returned."

"Ssss, what took you sssso long?" a voice hissed. Out from the darkness slithered a giant, long purple snake with a peach underbelly and dark spines along her back. Instead of a snake head, a feminine torso sat at the top. Her face was covered in a dark hood as strands of dark green hair framed her face and red eyes cut through the darkness.

"Ran into a little trouble in the park. Nothing I couldn't handle. Humans are such fools," she replied.

"Indeed, Ssssen. Why are you sssstill in that form?"

"Hm? Oh, my apologies Liao. I was so focused all day maintaining this form that I must have forgotten to change back." Ms. Forest glowed a bright green, growing in size before the light faded, revealing Ms. Forest's true form: pale green skin, long pink hair, leaves and bark covering her body and the same bright red eyes as her sister.

"Ah, much better, I think you look much better that way, Ssssen," Liao said.

"As do I, Liao."

"Sssso, what did you learn?"

"I found the three demon children Lang Yan spoke of. I could sense their presence within one of this world's education facilities. But I needed to get closer if I was to pinpoint them. I masqueraded as a teacher and was able to find them," she said, handing Liao three files. "Liam Ren, Mala Reid and Damon Lee."

"Feh, perhapsss Lang Yan iss not as weak-minded as we thought, if she is sssso willing to ssssend her own child to the sssslaughter," Liao snickered, examining the school files Sen had procured. "And what of thessse two?"

"Sons of Tzan Ren and Shen Du," Sen answered.

"The Shadowbeast'sss boy?" Liao exclaimed in surprise. "That human loving disssgrace?"

"The very same. They bested Tai Ci only recently," Sen added.

"Of course Tai would be the firssst to fall. The arrogant fool alwaysss sssecuress his own downfall."

"Which means we cannot dilly dally. They have the resources and means to banish us, sister. If we are to rule this world together, we must get rid of them."

"Precisesssly what I wasss thinking. My Wan Du Ye is nearly ready. It takessss a thousand yearsss to cultivate thisss poissson, but all that waiting is worth is it, for even a sssingle drop can kill a fully powered Demon Ssssorcerer. With thisss," she said, gesturing to the stinger at the end of her tail, "we will ensure our victory. Once my poissson is ready, we will kill those children that pose a threat to us. Until then, you will need to keep playing your part, sssister."

"Ugh, posing as a human school teacher? I certainly did not expect having to do this longer than I already have. This human skin is just so… ugh repulsing," Sen shuddered, "Every moment I spend in human shape, I just long to be surrounded by my darling plants. Every second I hear them whispering their despair and pain to me. And these humans… they care nothing for the nature around them! They stomp and crush plants like they are better! But once we rule this world, it will be my precious plants that crush them!" Sen declared, clenching her hand into a fist tightly.

"Patience, sssister," Liao said, easing her sister. "This world will be oursss soon enough; you get your plantssss and I will take the humans. Just bear with me until then." Liao slithered over to her sister as she spoke and placed a reassuring hand on Sen's shoulder. The sisters locked eyes for a moment, before sharing a curt nod. Where Tai Ci stood alone, Sen Qiang and Liao She stood together, united, the bond of sisterhood linking them together.

* * *

**I know it may be cliche, but I just couldn't write Liao She's dialogue without all those ssss. It's how I see her talking and I want to portray her as best and as accurately as I can ^_^**

**Next chapter: Liam, Mala and Drago discover Ms. Forest's secret, but are too late to stop her. As Liao She continues preparing her Wan Du Ye, Sen Qiang prepares to spread her vines across the city.**

**I named their bio teacher after my own in high school. Mr. Butler was the best and one of my favorite teachers ^_^**


	6. Haircut

**Wow, so this chapter wound up to be sooooo much longer than I expected it to be. Which is not necessarily a bad thing XD Anyway, hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

"Ok, maybe she's not evil," Mavis admitted.

"You're only saying that because she organized a last minute field trip for the end of the week!" Mala exclaimed.

"Yeah! Field trips are awesome! They're basically free days!" she beamed excitedly.

"What is this place again?" Remy asked.

"The Arboretum, it's a botanical garden," Tim answered.

"Jeez, Ms. Forest and her plants! Speaking of which, how fitting is it that her name is Ms. Forest and she's obsessed with plants?" Liam asked.

"Maybe she figured since Forest is her last name, she might as well be a professional tree hugger," Drago commented.

"Yeah, I could certainly do without her fanatic raving over how humans are ruining mother nature though," Liam added.

"Hey, careful, she might hear you and give us a three hour lecture on the botanical structure and significance of a pine tree!" Mavis cautioned them. "And I swear to god if I have to hear from her how we're ruining the planet, I'm gonna lose it!"

"Shh! Here she comes!" Tim interjected quickly as Ms. Forest stood in front of the class at the entrance to the garden.

"Now class, this field trip is a treat! We're here to examine the beauty of the plants in these gardens. I want you to break off into groups of three, explore the garden and select a specific area to focus on for your written assignment. Understood?" she asked, as the rest of the class nodded their heads in agreement before friends began whispering to each other to group up. "Before you go off, I'd like the three of you," she added, pointing to Mala, Liam and Drago, "to come with me."

As the students dispersed, Remy asked, "Why does she want to see you three?"

"No clue," Liam answered.

"Well, when you're finished with her, come over and meet us at the cafe. I hear this place has the best cinnamon buns in the city! We'll get some for you, but if you're late, I cannot guarantee that they will still be there," Mavis smirked.

"We'll try not to keep you waiting," Mala said, as she, Liam and Drago followed after Ms. Forest. They followed her through the gardens, passing many groups of students all working on their assignments as quickly as they could so they could then have free roam of the facilities. "Um, Ms. Forest, where exactly are we going?" Mala asked.

"Somewhere where we can speak privately," she simply answered, not even turning around to face them as she spoke.

"Uh… ok," Drago muttered, shooting the two of them a confused look, at which Liam shrugged. She finally stopped when she led them to an area surrounded by thick bushes and trees. Nobody else was around there and even if there was, they probably couldn't find them because of just how thick and dense the plants around them were.

"So why did you want to talk to us alone?" Liam asked.

"Don't you find it interesting, Mr. Ren?" Ms. Forest asked, still turning their back to them as she spoke.

"Find what interesting?"

"This world, it is full of people living chaotic lives, clashing with others. They fight with each other, kill each other out of their own selfish desires. When one human sees something they want, they will destroy everything in their path to acquire it, even if what stands in their way is their own kind. What this world needs is leaders with great power, powerful enough so that no dissenters will oppose them so that they can impose order to the chaos that is man," she spoke, idly playing with the leaves of a nearby tree.

"I don't understand…" Liam muttered. He took a step back, uncomfortable with the situation as he shot a worried look to Drago and Mala.

"Why did you come to this world, Liam?" she asked next.

"M-my father sent me here."

"Did he now?" she asked, intrigued. "Now, why would he send his own son away?"

"Well, uh, he wanted me out of his hair."

"Of course he did. Another question: if you hated your father so much, why would you take his name as your surname?"

"I never said- How did you?" Liam asked, with wide eyes.

"I've got a baaaaad feeling about this," Drago said.

"The Shadowbeast may be gone from this world, but we cannot allow a stain such as a human lover and two half-spawns to live!" Ms. Forest finally turned to face them, revealing bright, glowing red eyes and a menacing grin. "I will do what your father could not!" Ms. Forest raised her arms as vines sprouted all around them, wrapping tightly around their arms and legs, restraining them.

"Ah, what the?" Drago cried.

"I can't move!" Mala exclaimed, struggling fruitlessly against the strong vines that bound them. Pearl jumped up to attack Ms. Forest, but the vines wrapped around her as well, keeping the construct from moving.

Ms. Forest cackled loudly as she suddenly transformed. Her skin turned light green and her blonde hair turned pink and grew down to her feet. She had leaves covering her body and bark on her legs and right hand as flowers adorned her. "Sen Qiang," Liam realized, narrowing his eyes at the Demon Sorceress.

"Very perceptive, little one, but alas, too late," she spoke, casually walking up to them.

"I don't understand! She touched each of us! How come we couldn't tell she was a demon?" Drago asked loudly.

"It's true that when two disguised demons make physical contact, their senses are able to penetrate each other's human guise. That's how Mala and I realized each other was a demon. But Demon Sorcerers, they're much more powerful. Even if another demon touches them, they can mask their demonic aura," Liam explained.

"You're a smart one, Linos," Sen said, calling Liam by his real name. "But not smart enough."

"So where's Liao She?" Mala asked. "If you're here, your twin can't be far behind."

"Oh, she will be joining us shortly. Once she is ready, she'll come here and finish you off with her poisons and you'll be out of our hair as we bring order to this world of chaos."

"Did my mother tell you about us?" she asked.

"Smart and pretty. You must get both from your mother," Sen complimented hollowly. "Yes, she came to us and informed us of Tai's banishment by your hands. But where Tai is reckless and arrogant, we are smart and strategic."

"I can't believe she did it again!" Drago exclaimed.

"Are you really surprised?" Mala asked.

"I certainly was. I didn't expect that human lover to turn on her own child. Perhaps we did not know Lang Yan as well as we thought. Either way, once she told us where to find you, my sister and could sense your presence. But with so many humans in this city, it was difficult to pinpoint you three exactly. But, once we narrowed your location to that school, I infiltrated your school so I could find you."

"Well, that explains why she was so touchy-feely," Drago muttered.

"You're not gonna get away with this! Our friends will find out!" Liam shouted angrily.

"Hahaha, oh I'm not worried about your human friends. They won't be much trouble for me."

"I wouldn't underestimate them if I were you," Mala warned, as she glared at Sen Qiang.

"Oh darling," Sen spoke, as a vine lifted her up to Mala. She took Mala's face in her hand as Mala struggled and tried to pull away from the sorceress. "You have such a pretty face; didn't your mother ever tell you that you shouldn't scrunch it up like that?"

"Keep your hands off her!" Drago shouted, as his lips lit up in flames. He let out a stream of fire at Sen, who easily dodged it by moving back.

"That's enough out of you!" Sen said sharply. "I will not have you destroying my beautiful plants!" From her hands, Sen threw a cloud of dust right into Drago's face. Drago coughed and shook his head, trying to get the dust out of his face.

"Drago!" Mala cried out in worry. When the dust finally cleared, Drago's eyes fell heavy and his body went limp. "What did you do to him?"

"Relax, dear, it's only a sleep dust, something to calm this little spitfire." With Mala's face still in her hand, she blew another cloud of dust right into Mala's face, putting her fast asleep. "Nighty night!"

Liam narrowed his eyes at Sen as he let out a faint, primal growl. "Now, now Linos, don't look at me like that. It's nothing personal!" she insisted. But Linos could detect the malice in her voice and saw right through her facade. "It's not too late to change your mind, Linos. You don't have human blood in you like these pathetic insects! You are of noble, full demon blood! You should be standing with us. You should be on the winning side," she said, holding out her hand to him.

Liam took in a deep breath and closed his eyes before opening them and looking at Sen again. "I am on the winning side," he said with a determined glare. "I may not have an ounce of human blood in my veins but I know where I belong and it's not with scum like you! And if there's one thing I've learned about humans its that the moment you start underestimating them is the moment you've lost."

Sen blinked before sighing in disappointment. "Well… I can see there's no changing your mind. It's a shame Hsian Ji wasted her life protecting you. A wasted 'sacrifice' indeed," she spat.

"Don't you dare talk about my mother that wa-" Before Liam could even finish his sentence, Sen blew another cloud of dust right into Liam's face, putting him to sleep.

"Hm, no wonder Tzan Ren hated you. You go against everything we demons stand for. Too bad he couldn't finish the job on you like he did with his sister. It's almost annoying how much like her you are," Sen said to the sleeping Liam before turning to examine Mala and Drago as well. She then turned to Pearl and said, "I suppose my dust won't work on you, since you're inorganic. But I must say, for a halfbreed, Lang Yan's spawn is certainly skilled to craft something as elegant and powerful as you. Shame. Once Liao arrives, she'll take care of you three for good. Until then, I'll go deal with your human friends." Sen's vines carefully lowered her to the ground before she motioned for them to raise her three captives higher into the canopy so they were hidden from view. Once they were hidden well enough, she changed back into her human disguise, preparing to hunt down their remaining threat.

* * *

"Ok, Remy, what's with the look?" Mavis asked.

"You know why I'm mad! You pushed me into a bush of thorns! I've got cuts all over my arms and a few on my legs!" Remy exclaimed, indicating the many small cuts across his arm. They weren't deep, but a few were still bleeding slightly.

"Oh don't be such a baby! You fight demons! A few little thorns shouldn't even be a problem! Ok, I'm calling it! They're late! That means I get their cinnamon buns!" Mavis grinned excitedly, moving in on the plate of three cinnamon buns like a hungry lioness stalking her prey.

"They've been gone a real long time," Tim noted.

"Yeah, I'm starting to worry. What could Ms. Forest want to talk to them about for that long?" Remy asked.

"Maybe it's about their marks?" Mavis suggested, stuffing her face with a cinnamon bun.

"I don't think so. Mala's a straight-A student, Liam's averaging a solid B and Mala just helped Drago boost his average from a C to a B," Tim explained.

"Then what could possibly be taking them so long?" Remy asked.

"Maybe Drago and Mala are off making out behind some bush," Mavis said, taking another bite of the cinnamon bun.

"…Yeah, that actually sounds like something they'd do," Tim admitted.

"If that's the case, then where's Liam?" Remy added.

"All right, I guess it's my job to find them! Us Callahans are particularly good finders!" Mavis said, standing up from the table and walking off.

"Wait," Tim called, stopping her, "leave the cinnamon buns." Mavis muttered something under her breath as she begrudgingly set the plate of two remaining cinnamon buns back on the table before stomping away to find their missing friends. "We paid for them, we might as well get to eat the extras," he said, picking up one of the cinnamon buns as Remy did the same with the other.

"Mhm! Damn, these are good. Mavis certainly knows good food," Remy complimented.

"Yeah, it's one of her more redeemable qualities." Once they finished their second cinnamon buns, Tim noticed Ms. Forest enter the building. "Hey, there's Ms. Forest now. Let's ask her if she's seen the others." Remy nodded in agreement and the pair made their way to their substitute teacher. "Ms. Forest, have you seen Liam, Mala and Damon? We haven't seen them since they went off with you."

"Really? I only spoke with them for a few minutes. I'm sure you'll find them," Ms. Forest said, laying a reassuring hand on Tim and Remy's arms. "Ah!" she hissed, pulling her arm back sharply.

"Ms. Forest? What's wrong?" Remy asked. He looked at his arm, noticing the blood from his cuts and how her hand seemed to burn and sizzle when she touched him. His eyes widened in realization as he quickly put his arm in front of Tim and pushed him back.

"Grrr, she didn't say that one of you would be a slayer!" Ms. Forest growled angrily. "I wasn't expecting this, but I'll take care of you like I did your friends."

"Tim, run!" Remy shouted, drawing his collapsible jian from behind his waist.

* * *

"Hmmmhmm," Mavis hummed to herself playfully as she strolled through the garden premises, searching for her three friends. "Ok… If I was secretly making out with my boyfriend, behind which bush would I do it?" she asked herself out loud, rubbing her thumb and index finger along her chin. "Detective Callahan is on the case! Oh, idea!" Mavis whipped out her cellphone and dialled in Mala's number. She waited for a few seconds before catching the tune of Mala's ringtone. She followed the sound until it got louder and louder. "AHA!" she exclaimed, pushing the bushes aside, expecting to catch Mala and Drago red-handed. "Awww," she groaned, upset at finding only an empty patch of grass. She looked up, noticing the ringtone coming from above her. "Whoa, I wasn't expecting that," she said to herself, noticing her friends and Pearl tied up in vines in the tree's canopy. She watched Pearl struggle against the vines before suddenly shrinking down to her small size and slipping right through the vines and right into Mavis' arms. "So, you wanna fill me in on just what that is all about?" she asked, pointing up to her friends. Pearl jumped out of Mavis arms before transforming back into her larger form and jumping back into the trees. She sharpened her paws into talons and sliced through the vines that held Liam, Drago and Mala. Though Pearl carefully pulled Mala into her arms, Liam and Drago fell right out of the tree and landed roughly onto the ground. "Yikes… they're definitely gonna feel that tomorrow," she said as Pearl descended from the tree with her master. Mavis placed her hand right over Liam's nose, feeling his breath hit her skin. Not dead, just unconscious. "Hey, hey wake up!" she chirped, poking Liam's arm. When he didn't wake up, she put her index finger in her mouth before sticking it in Liam's ear. "Hm, I thought that would work. So what exactly happened?" Mavis asked Pearl.

But before Pearl could even formulating some kind of non-verbal response, Mavis heard a loud explosion coming from the ground's main building. "Ok, something tells me I'll find my answer there. Give me Mala and you can take the boys." Pearl however, didn't respond and kept holding onto Mala. "Oh come on, do you honestly expect me to be able to carry either of them? Mala's at least the lightest." Pearl consented and handed Mala over to Mavis, who carried her friend on her back while Pearl lifted Drago and Liam in either of her arms. They dashed towards the chaos as garden visitors ran away, screaming in terror. Vines broke through the walls and ceilings or the garden's buildings before spreading out wildly in all directions. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Mavis stammered, trying to avoid these large vines and plants that buried the garden. "Oh, that's not good," she said, noticing the vines spreading to the rest of the city, wrapping around buildings. "Ok, something tells me these guys aren't gonna be awake any time soon. You take these three somewhere safe and I'll investigate," she said, handing Mala off to Pearl. As she made her way back to the cafe where she left Tim and Remy, Mavis struggled through the thick vines that blanketed the area. "Ugh, there's gotta be an easier way to get through all this!"

Suddenly, Mavis locked to a tall tree next to her as vines hung from the branches. She grinned widely with excitement as she climbed up the tree and took one of the vines in her hands. "I've always wanted to do this! Oooooohhoooooohoooooo!" Mavis let out a Tarzan yell as she leapt off the tree, swinging on the vine towards the building. Once she reached the end of the swing, the vine she held onto snapped and Mavis plummeted to the ground. "Ooof!" Mavis landed roughly on a large conglomeration of vines before standing up and dusting herself off. "Huh, that was actually pretty soft. Now… how do I get inside the creepy, vine-infested fortress?" she asked herself. Then, Mavis noticed a fire axe encased in glass next to a fire extinguisher on the wall. "Hm… 'in case of emergency, break glass'," she read out loud, "Well I'd say this definitely counts as an emergency!" Mavis took the little hammer that was changed to the case and tapped the glass, shattering it. She reached in and grabbed the fire axe before turning back to the plants that blocked her way. Mavis raised the fire axe high above her head and sliced through the vines, allowing her to open the door just wide enough for to squeeze inside, which like the exterior was covered in vines and even sprouting flowers.

"Tim!" Mavis called, spotting her friend. "What the hell's going on?"

"Well, you remember Ms. Forest? Well, turns out she's the Wood Demon Sorceress, Sen Qiang!" he answered, digging through his bag as he spoke.

Mavis gasped loudly and dramatically before loudly yelling, "I WAS RIGHT! SHE'S EVIL!"

"Yes, yes your Callahan intuition was right once again! But we've got to stop her. Where are the others?" he asked.

"Unconscious."

"What? How?"

"I dunno! I found them tied up in vines and all unconscious. And Pearl doesn't talk so it's not like she can tell me what happened!"

"Hm, that must have been Sen Qiang's doing, when she wanted to 'talk to them privately'."

"How'd you guys figure out who she was?" Mavis asked.

"Well, as it turns out, you pushing Remy into a bush of thorns was a good thing. She touched his arm and some of his blood got onto her."

"Right, demon hunter blood burns demons. What are you looking for?"

"This!" he exclaimed, pulling out a dried gecko and a glass jar of dust.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Sen Qiang's banishment spell," he answered.

"You made the spell that quickly?"

"No, but after Tai Ci surprised us at school, I've been walking around with the banishment spell for the last three on my bag. I'm not taking any more surprises! The only thing is I don't have Sen Qiang's object of banishment."

"What's that?"

"An axe."

"So, this fire axe I have won't do the trick, will it?" she asked sarcastically as she held out the red, fire axe.

"Where did you even get that?" Tim cried in disbelief and amazement.

"It was in a case that said 'in case of emergency, break glass'. This is an emergency!" she argued.

"You know, I don't say this often, but good job, Mavis! Come on, let's get back to Remy!"

"Thanks! Hey wait a minute!" Mavis shouted, following Tim as they traveled deeper into the building preparing to chastise him for thinking she doesn't usually do a good job.

"Just hold still!"

"That's her, Sen Qiang," Tim whispered. Crouching, the pair carefully peered out from behind a bench to see Sen Qiang fighting with Remy. She had her plants trying to grab a hold of him, but he was fast and sliced through her plants with his sword with ease.

"Well damn, no wonder she was so fanatical. She's basically Poison Ivy! So what's the plan?" Mavis asked.

"Well, we've got the spell and the axe and Remy's doing a good job of distracting her, so we can-oh no, Remy!" Tim called out when he saw Sen Qiang holding Remy by his arms with her long, pink hair.

"Ogh, she can control her hair? Gross," Mavis muttered.

Sen turned her head sharply when she heard two more voices. She raised her arms and vines wrapped around Mavis and Tim's wrists, lifting them into the air as they dropped the fire axe and dried gecko. "Ah, Ms. Callahan, Mr. Knight. I'll be with you two in a moment, once I finish with Mr. Ryder here." Sen turned her attention back to Remy, whom she still had restrained with her hair. "And here I thought all you Ryder slayers were dead."

"You thought wrong!" Remy snapped back.

"You know, I tried to get your friend Linos to join us, as he should. But he refused, said something about how once I underestimate humans, I'll lose. Pssh, what a silly notion. I haven't underestimated humans at all. In fact, you've performed exactly how I expected. I was going to have Liao kill all six of you, but why was the effort? You three can witness the dawning of a new age! The end of mankind and the beginning of plantkind! Ahhahaha!" she cackled.

"You're wrong," Remy muttered.

"What was that?" Sen Qiang asked, moving in closer to hear what Remy said.

"You're wrong," he repeated, this time loud enough for her to hear, "You have underestimated us." Remy narrowed his eyes and kicked the heel of his shoe, causing a small hidden blade to protrude just under his toes. He lifted his leg and sliced through the collection of hair that held his right wrist, freeing him.

"Aaaahhh, nooooo!" Sen shrieked in horror. "My hair! My beautiful hair!" Distracted, Sen's grip on Remy's other arm loosened as did the vines that bound Mavis and Tim and they all fell to the ground. Remy quickly grabbed his sword and regrouped with the two as Sen wailed over the strands of hair that had been cut.

"You two ok?" Remy asked.

"Yeah, we're fine," said Tim.

"Wow, something tells me she doesn't like getting her hair cut," Mavis noted.

"Yeah… and maybe we can use that! You two get the spell ready and I'll distract her!"

"You little brat! You'll pay for this!" Sen shouted angrily. She waved her arms and sent several vines after Remy. However, he easily dodged and sliced through them. Remy reached into his shirt and pulled out one of his blood vials. He bit the cork off with his teeth and threw the vial at Sen as the blood splashed all over her arm. "Agh!" she shrieked in pain, trying to shake the blood off her arm without getting any more on her. With her distracted, Remy moved up behind her and grabbed her hair just at the base of her head in his hands before slicing it all off with his jian. "MY HAIR! No, no, no, not my beautiful, beautiful hair!" Sen wailed, picking up the strands of hair Remy had sliced off. Sen was so distracted by this, that she didn't notice Remy turn to Mavis and Tim.

"Now!" he shouted.

"Mavis, the axe!" Tim called.

"Right!" Mavis held up the axe as Tim recited the spell. A bright green light shot out form the dried gecko to the axe before striking the ground right behind Sen, who remained oblivious to the rising green gate and red swirling vortex, instead still focused on her cut hair.

"Ah? No, noooooooo!" she screamed, as the vortex pulled her in and the gate disappeared back into the ground. Immediately after, all the vines Sen had sprouted dried up and became brittle to the touch.

"Holy shit, we did it!" Mavis exclaimed. "Aw yeah, three humans just beat a Demon Sorceress!"

"Yeah, but let's get out of here! It's only a matter of time before the authorities show up!" said Remy. The three made their way out of the gardens and met up with Pearl, who had been guarding their still-unconscious demon friends.

* * *

Late a night, the moonlight shone through the broken windows of the Arboretum building. A long, dark figure slithered past the dried up vines and police tape that had been set up hours earlier to the center of the room.

"Ssssister? Where are you?" Liao hissed, looking around. She gasped when she saw an axe on the ground next to long, pink strands of hair. "No, this cannot be," she whispered, examining the two objects before figuring out what had happened. "Thossse children will pay for what they've done. I sssswear that I will avenger you ssssister!"

* * *

**Man, writing Sen Qiang was fun, probably because I was channeling a little bit of Lang Yan while I did it. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed it and look forward to the next chapter, and perhaps that AU I was talking about earlier ;)**

**Next chapter: Liao She seeks revenge on the Shadow Strikers for banishing Sen Qiang. **


	7. A Sister's Revenge

**Man, that last chapter was a pretty long one right? It certainly turned out much longer than I intended it to be. It's funny because originally, I was worried that it was going to be too short!**

**You've all probably heard me say this before, but I would like to hear more from you guys. As much as I appreciate +favs and +follows, I appreciate comments even more! If you enjoyed the chapter, tell me! And tell me what you liked or didn't like, what you think will or should happen or any other theories or thoughts you have regarding the story and its characters! I'll tell you this: it certainly helps boost motivation to write and may make for faster updates ;) And also, I've dropped hints in the story regarding characters, relations, etc. and the fact that no one has mentioned it in their reviews, makes me feel like you guys aren't picking up on it... Come on, hints are fun! And I don't drop shit like that without a reason **

* * *

"No, no, no!" Lang Yan cried in frustration. She slammed her fists angrily on the table she sat by, knocking everything over as she did, though the crystal orb floating over it remained unaffected. She took a deep breath to regain her composure and focus before holding her hands over the orb once again. She closed her eyes and focused all her energy and concentration as an image appeared in the center of the orb. A large, purple nags-like figure with long, dark green hair and a hood towered over a blue-skinned, white-haired demoness. Lang Yan struggled briefly to maintain the image, which became blurry and clouded for a moment before clearing up. The snake woman knocked the other girl to the ground and just as she stood back up, the snake stabbed the stinger at the end of her tail into her stomach. Suddenly, dark clouds covered the image as a pair of bright red eyes opened in the darkness. The figure was dark, so she couldn't make out his face, but she knew deep down who it was. He had a pair of curved horns, one broken at the end, on his head while the rest of him was a blurry mass of black mist. "No!" she shouted again, as the image disappeared and the crystal ball fell onto the table. "Why?" she asked herself, "Why is that all I can see now? And no matter what actions I take, this remains unchanged!" Lang Yan sighed heavily, grabbing her head in frustration as she tried to think straight.

* * *

"So you three single-handedly defeated and banished Sen Qiang?" Mala asked.

"You bet! Who says we humans can't beat demons like you guys can?" Mavis exclaimed.

"None of us have ever said that," Liam said.

"Well, still, it felt pretty good proving we could handle a Demon Sorcerer just as well as you guys!" Mavis added.

"So what exactly did happen when Ms. Forest-I mean Sen Qiang pulled you guys aside?" Tim asked.

"Well, before she put us to sleep with her sleep dust stuff, she told us that she snuck into the school to find the three of us," Mala explained.

"And once she had us, she knocked us out!" Drago finished.

"Turns out my mother likes to share. She told Sen Qiang and Liao She about us like she did with Tai Ci," said Mala.

"But she didn't tell them I was a demon hunter. When Sen touched my arm, some of my blood got on her. That's how we figured out who she really was," Remy explained.

"Then if she told them about us, why leave out that one of us is a demon hunter?" Drago asked.

"What ever the reason, it's because of that that we managed to get the upper hand with Sen. Otherwise, we might never have figured it out and stopped her," said Remy.

"Well, that and she just went all crazy depressed when you cut her hair," Mavis added.

"Sen always was a vain one," Liam commented. "But we've got bigger problems. With Sen gone, Liao She's gonna be pissed. Their relationship isn't like the one between your dad and his siblings," Liam said to Drago, "Sen and Liao are close, very close. And when Liao finds out that we banished Sen, she's going to come after us. We need to stay on our toes."

"And she's the Poison Demon Sorceress. That's a hell of a lot more dangerous than some plants and sleep dust," Mala added.

"Right, the three of us," Liam started, referring to himself, Mala and Drago, "can withstand most of her toxins, but the three of you even so much as inhale her miasma or get stung by her, you're done for," he finished, gesturing to Tim, Mavis and Remy.

"Then we should keep the Winged Unicorn Coin on hand, in case things get dicey," said Mala.

"What about the object of banishment?" Remy asked.

"Right, this one might be a little harder to find. Liao She's object of banishment is a pungi," Tim explained.

"A what now?" Mavis asked, confused.

"A pungi. You know the ones that snake charmers use?" Tim clarified.

"Oh, one of those na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na flutes?" she asked, singing a snake charmer tune while swaying her arms.

"Yes, Mavis, one of those," Tim muttered as he rolled his eyes.

"So where do we get one of those? Last time I checked, L.A. doesn't have an official snake charmers association," Mala pointed out.

"Aw man, I bet if there was, they'd have an awesome food spread!" Mavis exclaimed.

"Not the point, Mavis!" Tim chastised.

"Maybe we should see if Kuang has one! He does sell 'other neat finds' along with medicinal herbs," Remy suggested.

"It's worth a shot. His store is on the way to school, so let's stop by before class," said Liam.

When they entered Kuang's shop, they noticed him standing behind the counter while talking to someone on the phone. "But are you all right? Good, good, as long as you're ok," Kuang breathed a sigh of relief. "Ok, you do what you have to do and find them all. Your mother trusted you to protect them and you can't let them fall into the wrong hands. Ok, let me know if anything changes. I love you." Kuang hung up the phone and turned to the teenagers. "Oh, what are you kids doing here? Shouldn't you be at school?" he asked.

"Yeah, but we just needed to stop by and see if you had something in your store," Mala answered.

"Who was that you were talking to?" Mavis asked.

"Mavis, that's private!" Tim scolded.

"No, no, it's fine. That was my son!" Kuang answered happily.

"Wait, you have a kid?" Drago exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, I would hardly call him a kid. He's a grown up now, but he's still my son."

"Is everything all right with him? It sounded like he was in some kind of trouble," Liam asked.

"Yes, something bad did happen, but he's working on how to figure it out and fix it. I know he'll do fine. He's smart and resourceful, just like his mother!" Kuang beamed proudly. "But anyway, what was it you were looking for?"

"Oh, we were wondering if you had a pungi? You know, one of those snake charmer flutes?" Tim asked.

"Hm, I might have something like that. This is for Liao She, am I right?" he asked, as he rummaged through several boxes.

"Yeah. Tim's already got the spell on hand, but we can't afford to let her surprise us," Remy added.

"Especially after you banished her sister back to the Demon Netherworld. Ah, you're in luck! I've got one right here and it's my last one!" he smiled, handing it to Tim. "The bond between family is strong; when one of our family is in danger, we don't hesitate to defend them," Kuang said.

"You obviously haven't met our dads," Liam said, gesturing to himself and Drago.

"Well, no family is perfect. But I know from experience that any parent, siblings or child would do anything to protect someone they love, even if it cost them their own life. Oh, goodness, look at me rambling on. The six of you need to get to school or you'll be late! Hurry on now!" he said, ushering them out of his store.

"Right, thanks again Kuang!" Tim called back as they made their way to school. "Well, now that we have a pungi, we'll be ready when Liao shows up!"

"Yeah… about that," Mavis said, pointing at the school as students fled with panicked screaming.

"What the? What's going on?" Liam cried.

"I may not know much about school, but purple mist like that can't possibly be normal," Remy said, noting the thick, dark purple mist that covered the entire school.

"You think it's Liao She?" Drago asked.

"It's gotta be. If Sen Qiang knew where to find us, then she must've told Liao too," Mala added.

"Not to mention we banished her sister, so she's probably pissed about that," said Mavis.

"Then it's a good thing we got the pungi from Kuang when we did!" Tim exclaimed.

"Come on, let's get everyone away from the school and deal with her. Same thing we did with Tai Ci: contain her and minimize injuries. Mala, Drago, you're with me. You three evacuate the school and use the Winged Unicorn if anyone gets infected by her poison."

"Got it!" they all said in unison as the two groups split up.

"WHERE ARE YOU? I KNOW YOU CHILDREN ARE HERE! COME OUT!" they heard Liao shout loudly.

"Well, there's no doubt she's definitely here for us!" Drago pointed out, as he, Mala and Linos traveled deeper into the school.

"Looks like she's in the library," Mala pointed out, "down that way."

"All right. Now remember, she's all about poisons. Now since we're all demons, most of her stuff won't affect us too badly, but we should still be careful. Nobody take any unnecessary risks. The plan is we contain her and her poisons until the others are finished evacuating and Tim can perform the banishment spell. Got it?" Linos asked. Drago and Mala nodded their heads. "Good, let's go!" Linos kicked down the library doors as the three entered. "Liao She!" he called out.

Hearing her name called, Liao turned and focused her bright red eyes on the demon kids. She grinned maliciously before turning to face them. "Ah, there you are. Now, I will avenge my sisssster! You three will be the firsssst to tasssste my wrath and then I will take thisssss world!" Liao charged at them, slithering across the library as she did, but they all managed to jump out of the way of her path.

"Mala, you're on containment! Seal any pathways where she or her poison can get out: windows, air vents, anything!" Linos commanded.

"I'm on it!" she answered, moving to the windows and crystallizing over them.

"Drago, you and me are gonna take her," he said next to Drago, who nodded in agreement.

While the demons were engaged in combat, Tim, Mavis and Remy finished their run of the school. "Ok, I think that's the whole school. Everyone must be evacuated now," Tim concluded.

"All right, great! Let's get back to the fight!" Mavis beamed.

"Yeah, we have the spell and pungi. Liao She isn't going to get banished without those. I just hope the others are holding up all right," Remy added.

"Right, let's get going," Tim said.

"Man, the school is seriously going to need a better insurance plan when this is all over," Mavis commented. The three of them followed the sounds of battle - specifically tables being broken and things being knocked over. Remy kicked open the library doors and the three of them saw Linos and Drago fighting with Liao She as Mala landed right in front of them.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

"School's clear!" Tim answered.

"Good." Mala pushed past the three of them before slamming her hands on the library doors. Crystals spread from her fingers before expanding and covering the entire library door, sealing them inside.

"What are you doing?" asked Mavis.

"Sealing us in. Neither Liao She nor her poison gets out. She may he focused on us right now, but if she or any of her poisons get out, the city's down for," she answered. "On that note, you guys should probably keep your distance," she advised.

"Right-o!" Mavis exclaimed, saluting Mala.

"Hang on, hang on. Here, take this," he said, handing Mavis the pungi from his bag before pulling out the dried gecko he had used on Sen Qiang previously along with another jar of dust. He handed Remy the gecko to hold as he screwed open the jar. He took a pinch of the dust between his thumb and index finger and sprinkled it on the gecko before closing it again and putting it back in his bag. "Ok, we're ready," he said, taking the gecko back from Remy.

"Shall I provide the music, good sir?" Mavis asked in a fancy tone of voice.

"Please do. We're ready!" Tim called out to Linos. With the beat of his wings, he pushed himself away from Liao and landed right in front of them as Drago did the same and moved away.

"Tim, now!" Linos cried. As Tim began reciting the spell, Mavis also began playing the pungi.

"AHH!" Liao shrieked. "The pungi! I hate that insssstrument!" she hissed, covering her ears to block out the sound of the pungi. "You… you wretched children! I'll make you pay for what you've done!" Liao shouted, releasing a stream of dark purple mist from her mouth. Mavis stopped her playing and dropped the pungi in surprise as the gases spread quickly towards them. As they backed away from her miasma, Liao She seized the pungi, which rolled over to her, before smashing it to pieces with her tail. "Ah, much better…" she grinned.

"Miasma!" Linos shouted. He held out his arm in front of Tim, Mavis and Remy in an attempt to shield them as he flapped his wings, trying to disperse the poisonous gases. While he did this, Drago and Mala tried to gang up on Liao She. Pearl jumped onto Liao She from behind, grabbing her by her ponytail, but Liao wrapped her tail around Pearl's waist and threw the crystal construct off her. Mala managed to slice Liao on the arm with her claws, earning a pained hiss from the snake. Liao She winced at first, before grinning widely as her wounds closed up instantly, leaving no mark of the impact. She spat a dark liquid from her mouth right onto Mala's face, causing Mala to cry out and step back. She tried to wipe the poison off her face, but she only ended up getting it deeper into her eyes. She felt dizzy and couldn't see straight as she swayed left and right, trying to maintain her balance. Liao took advantage of this and knocked Mala to the ground with her tail before wrapping it tightly around Mala's neck. Feeling the air being squeezed out of her, she quickly tried to pry the tail off her neck, but to no avail.

"Stop, stop, stop! You're just making it worse!" Remy shouted. And he was right; Linos was only spreading the miasma more and more rather than repel it.

"Hang on, hang on! Fox, dragon, cat, shark, aha! Tortoise!" Mavis exclaimed, pulling out the Tortoise Coin from her pocket. She squeezed the Coin tightly in her hand as a clear, protective barrier formed around her, Tim and Remy. She then took the Winged Unicorn in her other hand, using its power to purify the air within their shield.

"The shield should keep the miasma out, but we're stuck in here. You three are on your own," said Remy.

"Man, this is just like with Sen Qiang, but in reverse," Mavis noticed.

"The three of you stay in that shield. And keep the Winged Unicorn Coin close to you," he said, handing them the Coin through the barrier, which he could pass through. "You guys will need it more than we will." Linos dashed over to Liao She, who was locked in combat with Drago.

"Go ahead! Fire it up! You know usssss reptilesssss, we love the heat!" Liao grinned. Drago rushed towards her, two fireballs in his hands ready to be thrown, but she grabbed onto his hands with her own, smothering the fireballs. Using his momentum against him, Liao threw Drago far off to the other side of the room right into a bookshelf. It fell over when Drago crashed into it, knocking over several other bookshelves like dominoes. "Jusssst you and me now, dear," Liao whispered, lifting Mala with her tail. Liao She opened her mouth wide, baring her fangs that dripped with venom. But before she could strike, a loud sonic shriek hit her dead on as she covered her ears in pain and released her grip on Mala. Mala rolled onto her hands and knees, clutching her throat as she coughed roughly, desperately trying to fill her lungs with air. With Liao paralyzed for the moment, Linos moved in and picked up Mala before moving her to safety.

"Mala, you ok?" he asked, setting her down.

"Yeah," she coughed. Linos could see Liao's poison doing it's work on Mala face. Her eyes were watery and puffy as the poison stained the skin around her eyes in streaks. "Yeah, she just got me in the eyes. Give me a minute, it'll pass," she assured him. Just as he turned around to reengage Liao, she slithered up to him with blinding speed and sunk her fangs into his right, upper arm.

"Aahh!" he cried out, but, bearing through the pain, he tried to push Liao off him. However, her grip was solid and she would not budge.

"Why Linossss, you don't look too well. Maybe you should take a ressssst!" she hissed. With her jaws still clenched on his arm, she turned her body and threw him to the other side of the room where he landed roughly on the ground near Drago. He smashed right into a study table, splitting it into two right down the middle.

"Linos!" Mavis cried. "Come on!"

"Whoa, whoa, watch the shield!" Tim warned. "Stay inside the shield!" As the three of them ran over to Linos and Drago, Liao returned her attention to Mala, who had begun overcoming Liao's poison but struggled to stand up straight. She still felt dizzy and her vision was blurry, but she had enough energy to stand, albeit barely.

"Now… where were we? Oh, that'ssss right, I remember now. My ssssister was sssssweet and she didn't desssserve her fate. You will be the firsssst to tasssste my Wan Du Ye!" Liao declared, as she moved the stinger on her tail in for the strike. Mala felt something push her out of the way as she fell to the ground while Liao's stinger struck something between the two of them, something invisible. "Huh? What issss thissss?" she asked out loud. Then, a figure suddenly appeared between them with Liao's stinger embedded deep in her abdomen. The woman, with blue skin and white hair, stood still for a moment before coughing blood that trickled down the side of her mouth to her chin. Liao looked at the one who stood in her way with wide, confused eyes and asked, "You… what do you think you're doing?"

* * *

**At first, I wasn't sure how to have Liao She attack them and I figured having her just attack their school would just be redoing what Tai Ci did. But then I thought, Liao's pissed and, well, emotionally compromised. And when people are angry or otherwise emotionally compromised, they tend not to think straight and clearly. So, I think it's reasonable for Liao to attack them in the same manner as Tai since it's the one place she knows where to find them and because she's pissed.**

**Next chapter: Everyone scrambles to defeat Liao She, but their chances aren't looking good with a broken pungi. To make matters worse, not everyone will survive the encounter.**


	8. A Mother's Love

**So here we are, the point in the story that I have personally been looking forward to the most. I won't keep you long, just continue and enjoy the story ^_^**

* * *

"You… what do you think you're doing?" Liao She hissed, shock and confusion written across her face. Lang Yan stood before her, separating Liao from her intended target and deep within Lang's stomach sat Liao's stinger, which had and still was injected the Wan Du Ye poison into her body. Before Lang Yan could speak, she coughed violently, causing blood to splatter onto the floor while some dripped down the side of her face from the corner of her mouth.

"…M-mom?" Mala whispered as her vision finally cleared. She rubbed her head and eyes before gasping in horror at the sight before her.

"J-just as you," she struggled to get the words out between her coughs and laboured breathing, "would a-avenge your s-sister… out of l-love, I… I will protect my ch-child," she stuttered.

Liao growled angrily as she lifted Lang into the air with her tail, the stinger still embedded deeply into Lang's stomach. Lang weakly grabbed onto Liao's tail to steady herself as the snake lifted her up. "I should have known! You were always too ssssoft. I ssssuppose then the rumourssss about you and the Chi Wizard were true? Don't worry, when I'm done here, you and your daughter can both join him!"

"I don't think so," Lang Yan muttered quietly, but still loud enough for Liao to just catch.

"What?"

"You will f-fall today… And I-I will be the last to t-taste your poison!" Lang Yan shouted defiantly, locking eyes with Liao.

"Huh?" Liao could feel Lang doing something to her tail with her hands and squinted her eyes to see what the crystal witch was doing. All of a sudden, she couldn't feel her tail anymore. Alarmed, she sharply flung Lang Yan off her stinger and sent her crashing roughly into the wall. Liao gasped in horror when she noticed the end of her tail, including the stinger and poison pouch, were completely crystallized. "What… what have you done?" Liao cried in a mix of anger and alarm.

"T-to make sure what I saw today… never comes true!" Lang Yan yelled. With one hand against the wall to steady her and the other clutching her bleeding stomach, she forced herself to her feet. From the wound spread dark purple lines like veins, slowly climbing across the rest of her body. Despite her knees wobbling and her struggle to maintain her balance, she stood tall.

"Hmph, impressssive. You took more than a full dosssse of my Wan Du Ye and yet you're sssstill sssstanding, but you won't be for long," Liao taunted.

"Because I have something worth fighting for," Lang replied, glaring at Liao. "As the humans say, come at me, bitch!" she spat, raising her arm into a battle position while the other still clutched her stomach.

"Do you honesssstly think you can sssstill fight? The more you move the fasssster my poisssson will flow. You barely have five minutessss."

"That's all I'll need," Lang struggled to say.

As the two Demon Sorceresses engaged each other, Mavis and the others attended to Linos as they pulled him into their shield. "Aw man, she got you in the shoulder," Mavis commented.

"Yeah, thank you Captain Obvious," Linos bit back as he groaned in pain.

"Hang on, buddy, we've got you," Tim said, helping Linos sit up. Mavis took his arm in her hand as she held the Winged Unicorn Coin over it. The Coin glowed white as it worked its healing magic, purifying the poison and healing Linos.

"Ah, that's better," he said, circling his shoulder to test out his newly healed arm. "What'd I miss?"

"Well…" Remy started as they all looked over to Lang Yan and Liao She. Despite her poisoning, Lang was putting up a good fight. But her determination could only take her so far as Liao easily gained the upper hand, slamming Lang Yan with her tail. Lang Yan grabbed Liao's tail tightly, refusing to let go as the snake flailed widely, trying to shake her off, but Lang held her grip. She sharpened the tips of her fingers into crystals and sliced through her tail, taking off the entire crystallized end.

"AHHH!" Liao shrieked. She turned angrily to Lang, who dropped the severed tail end to the ground before stomping on it with her foot, instantly shattering the crystallized tail barb into pieces.

"Heh… regenerate that!" Lang Yan took a step to start her next attack, but felt a painful shock run through her body instantly. It was the poison, it had to be. Her time was up. She fell to one knee before collapsing entirely and violently vomiting blood.

"Haha, time's up," she grinned. Just as Liao moved into for a finishing blow, Linos and Drago resumed their attack on her.

"Mom!" Mala cried, running over to her mother. She gasped at the sight of all the blood that spilled onto the floor into a still growing pool. "Wh-what do I do?" she asked, looking to her mother for guidance.

"N-nothing," she replied. "There is nothing you can do, my dear. I-it is too late."

"No…" Mala whimpered. Sure, she hated her mother, but she never thought that the day would come where she would watch her mother die. She couldn't explain it. Even with all this hatred and resentment towards her mother, she still wanted to help her, to save her life!

"Shhh, shh," Lang Yan whispered, hushing her daughter gently. But before she could utter another word, she collapsed right onto the ground.

"Mom!" Mala cried, carefully turning Lang Yan over onto her back and cradling her head with her hands. "W-we can get the Winged Unicorn Coin and, and," she stammered in panic.

"No! No," Lang Yan whispered, stopping her daughter, "There are some things… that magic cannot fix. L-listen to me, I-I don't have much time."

"Don't say that!"

"No, just l-let me say wh-what I need to say. D-despite what you've always thought of me, e-everything I've done, I did to p-protect you," she struggled.

"What do you mean?"

"Look at me," she said. Mala didn't understand, but still kept eye contact with her mother. "No, **look** at me," she emphasized.

Mala looked at her again confused, before figuring out what she meant. Clearing her mind, she focused her sight back onto her mother, noticing the bright red aura around her body. All of a sudden though, the aura changed from red to a light blue. "Wha? I don't-I don't understand," she whispered confused.

"Heh, to fake an aura is child's play for someone like me," Lang Yan answered. "I swear, some day you will understand why I did what I did." Lang Yan gently placed her hand on Mala's cheek as she spoke. "But know that I-I've always loved you and your father. Here," she said, handing Mala her crystal ball. "Take it," she ushered, as Mala hesitantly took the ball into her arm. "It w-will answer all your questions."

"Why didn't you ever tell me the truth? You let me hate you all this time! Why?" Mala wailed despairingly as tears dripped down the sides of her face.

"The ball, i-it will tell you," she repeated. "Mala, my dear, you must listen carefully. "An old enemy will return… far more powerful than before! Darkness is coming and you must stop it!"

"How? What do I do?" Mala asked.

"Y-you must find the Archer, the Light-Bringer. He will be the key. Only when all twelve are reunited, will an arrow of pure light banish away the darkness."

"I don't understand," Mala said again.

"You will," she said confidently with a smile. "You're your father's daughter, Mala. You're smart. I know you'll figure it out. J-just let me look at you," she said, her voice growing weak. Mala tearfully obeyed her mother's final request and they quietly locked eyes. "My little girl," she whispered wiping one of Mala's tears with her thumb weakly, as the purple lines finally reached her face, "you've grown up so strong, so beautiful. I-I'm so… proud of you…" her words trailed off, like she had more to say but would never get the chance to say those lost words. Her hand slid down from Mala's face and landed lifelessly on the ground as Mala felt her mother's body go limp. The purple lines had finished spreading all across her face and when they reached her eyes, her pupils blackened.

"…Mom?" Mala whimpered as she sniffled. She felt her mother's head fall back in her hand as her now-black eyes simply stared up into the ceiling above, staring into nothingness. "Mom?" she asked again, giving her mother a light shake. However, her mother made no response. She was just still and so cold. "No… no, no, no," Mala repeated in a desperate, emotional whimper before breaking down entirely. Tears that she didn't even realize she was holding back poured out from her eyes. Never in a million years would Mala think that she would cry this much over her mother's death. After all, she spent the majority of her life hating her mother. It was like her brain had shut off briefly, so she wasn't thinking, but instead she just let her feelings pour out, reacting with raw emotion. And while all this time her head was telling her how much she hated her mother, her heart felt like it was bleeding, like it had just been beaten to a bloody pulp and stabbed over and over again. Her heart ached in her chest so painfully that she couldn't take it. The pained whimpers of despair she had been trying to keep in finally slipped out as she tearfully stroked her mother's cheek. She was so wrapped up in her sadness and despair that she failed to notice Liao She creeping up to her. It wasn't until Liao's shadow cast over her when she realized the snake towered over her from behind.

"Now, now, don't cry deary. You'll be joining her ssssoon!" Liao hissed angrily, raising her poison covered talons, poised and ready to strike. But before she could hit her target, Mala turned around in an instant and seized Liao's wrists with her hands, stopping the snake in her tracks. "What the?" Liao cried out, startled by Mala's swiftness. She tried to pull her arms free from Mala, but the half-demon had an iron grip that could not be loosened. Suddenly, Liao could feel her hands becoming numb and number. She looked down in horror as crystals spread across her skin from Mala's hands, until they completely covered her own, crystallizing them entirely. Liao whipped her tail, now stubby and bleeding still, at Mala, knocking her away and free Liao from her grip. "Wh-what have you done?" she gasped loudly. When she looked back up, she saw Mala charging right for her. Just as she prepared to spit poison in her face again, Mala shot her hand out and clenched her hand tightly over Liao's mouth, keeping her from spitting the poison out. Liao muffled against Mala's hand and tried to pry Mala off her but her crystallized hands were ineffective. With wide, unblinking eyes, Mala glared at Liao She, who simply gawked at the girl. What had gotten into this girl? Liao could sense her power and aura before, but it wasn't anywhere near the level it was now. It was like she was a completely different person! To Liao's horror, crystals once again spread from Mala's hands across her own face and she could feel her skin crystallizing ever so slowly.

"Now's our chance! Tim, do your thing!" Mavis cried.

"Uh, are you forgetting something? Like, oh I don't know, a pungi that isn't broken?" he yelled back at her.

"Honestly Tim, do I have to do all the thinking around here?" Mavis asked. She dug into her pocket and pulled out the Coins once more. She fingered through them until she found the distinct, flower-shaped Coin with a pink jellyfish sigil. She held the Coin over the broken remains of the pungi. As the Coin lit up, the pieces of the pungi suddenly began floating and piecing themselves back together until the entire pungi was repaired.

"Uh, what?" Remy asked, confused. "Is that one a repairing Coin?"

"No, it controls time," she answered, "Not in the sense of like rewinding or fast forwarding time entirely, but like moving time forward or back on a specific object or area. The only thing is that it doesn't work on living things. Trust me, I tried," Mavis muttered that last part.

"Mavis, you might be a genius," Tim said in amazement. "Wow, I never thought I'd ever say that..."

"Please, you're not telling me anything I haven't already told myself. Ain't nobody got these Callahan brains," she smiled in pride.

"Mala!" Tim called, earning Mala's attention. He nodded at Mavis, who began playing the pungi while he began reciting the spell. Tim's dried gecko began glowing, as did the pungi. A bright green light shot out from the two objects to the ground as a green gate with a swirling red vortex rose from the ground. Seeing this, Mala, with Liao She, who's head and torso had been completely crystallized leaving only part of her tail still organic, still in her hand, three the snake demon straight into the gate. Liao She disappeared in the red vortex as the green gateway sunk back into the ground.

"Oh thank god that's over," Tim sighed, collapsing on the ground.

Mavis held up the Winged Unicorn Coin, purifying the air of Liao's toxins before lowering the Tortoise Coin's shield that protected them. As they made their way over to Mala, she had moved back to her mother's body. "Oh no," Mavis whispered, covering her mouth with her hand to stifle her gasp. Mala fell to her knees before placing her hands on her mother once more. Her shoulders shook violently as she wept, tears raining down her cheeks. Slowly, she moved her right hand up to her mother's face and used her fingers to close her mother's eyes. Drago bent down next to her and lay a consoling hand on her shoulder. When she felt his presence near her, she immediately turned towards him and buried her face into his chest. Nobody said a word the entire time. Instead, they just stood there listening to Mala's tearful cries of despair and sorrow echo through the library.

* * *

**I don't have much to say for this chapter other than, let me know your thoughts. **

**Next chapter: Mala deals with the loss of her mother and tries to make sense of her mother's last words.**


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